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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 120 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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. pop — to visit
  3. charge — electricity
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. charge — a price
  6. mate — a friend
  7. bear — the animal
  8. charge — in control
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. march — the month
  12. mate — a partner
  13. wake — a trail
  14. bear — the animal
  15. prune — to trim
  16. mate — to breed
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. march — the month
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. pop — soda
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. prune — to trim
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. march — music

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