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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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. mark — a grade
  4. pop — soda
  5. mark — a trace
  6. pit — in a race
  7. saw — the tool
  8. wound — an injury
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. toast — bread
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. rash — hasty
  14. pop — to visit
  15. saw — the tool
  16. squash — to crush
  17. squash — the sport
  18. pit — a hole
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. rash — a series
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. wound — an injury
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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