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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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. squash — the vegetable
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. toast — bread
  7. key — in music
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. squash — the sport
  11. key — for a lock
  12. squash — to crush
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. bat — the animal
  15. key — the most important part
  16. can — a tin
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. can — a tin
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. pop — soda
  24. can — to be able to

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