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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. pop — soda
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. pop — to visit
  5. stem — to come from
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. squash — the sport
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. track — a path
  12. track — to keep track
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. track — a song
  15. craft — a skill
  16. squash — to crush
  17. court — for sport
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. rash — a series
  21. craft — boats
  22. court — of a king
  23. rash — hasty
  24. court — of law

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