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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. object — to protest
  3. rash — hasty
  4. shower — to wash
  5. season — in sport
  6. pop — to visit
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. rock — a stone
  11. pop — music
  12. rock — music
  13. rash — a series
  14. shower — rain
  15. pop — soda
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. object — an aim
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. sharp — clever
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. season — of the year

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