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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. march — music
  3. toast — bread
  4. band — a music group
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. cue — a hint
  9. march — the month
  10. pop — soda
  11. cue — a signal
  12. band — a ring
  13. mug — a face
  14. cue — for pool
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. mug — to rob
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. march — the month
  22. mug — a cup
  23. pop — to visit
  24. stick — to attach or keep 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