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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. pop — soda
  3. tube — the underground
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. present — there
  6. tube — a container
  7. season — of the year
  8. pop — to visit
  9. clip — to cut
  10. bear — the animal
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. present — a gift
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. clip — for paper
  15. clip — a video
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. present — the time now
  18. scale — in music
  19. scale — size or range
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. season — in sport
  24. bear — the animal

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