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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. present — there
  3. bass — the fish
  4. present — the time now
  5. spring — a coil
  6. wake — a trail
  7. rest — a break
  8. file — a tool
  9. present — a gift
  10. pop — soda
  11. file — a line of people
  12. spell — letters
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. file — a document
  16. rest — what's left
  17. bass — low music
  18. spring — the season
  19. spell — a short time
  20. spell — magic
  21. spring — of water
  22. rest — what's left
  23. pop — to visit
  24. bass — the instrument

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