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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. file — a document
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. row — to paddle
  5. pop — soda
  6. wax — to grow
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. pitch — completely
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. ball — a great time
  14. row — a line
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. pop — to visit
  18. ball — a dance
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. file — a tool
  21. file — a line of people
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. pitch — a sales talk

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com