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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. pop — music
  3. perch — the fish
  4. face — part of the head
  5. pop — to visit
  6. rest — what's left
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. ground — crushed
  9. roll — a cake
  10. rest — what's left
  11. cue — a hint
  12. drill — a practice
  13. cue — a signal
  14. ground — the earth
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. pop — soda
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. drill — army training
  19. face — to confront
  20. face — to point toward
  21. roll — a list
  22. drill — the tool
  23. rest — a break
  24. cue — for pool

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