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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. band — a ring
  4. pop — soda
  5. last — final
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. ground — crushed
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. ground — a position
  11. plane — a tool
  12. rush — hurry
  13. craft — a skill
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. craft — boats
  16. pop — to visit
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. ground — the earth
  21. last — finally
  22. band — a music group
  23. last — to go on
  24. chair — a leader

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