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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. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. ground — a position
  3. content — the amount
  4. lie — to recline
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. bound — tied together
  8. toast — bread
  9. wax — to grow
  10. file — a tool
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. bound — obliged
  13. file — a document
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. ground — the earth
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. ground — crushed
  19. content — happy
  20. bound — certain
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. pop — soda
  23. file — a line of people
  24. pop — to visit

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