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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. lean — to bend
  5. pop — music
  6. ball — a dance
  7. craft — a skill
  8. kick — in football
  9. ball — a great time
  10. craft — boats
  11. spring — of water
  12. track — a song
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. track — to keep track
  15. spring — a coil
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. track — a path
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. lean — thin
  21. spring — the season
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. sharp — clever
  24. pop — to visit

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