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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. bass — the fish
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. pound — a weight
  7. chest — of your body
  8. pop — soda
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. chest — a box
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. chest — of your body
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. pop — to visit
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. wound — an injury
  18. snap — to click
  19. bass — low music
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. wound — an injury
  24. leaves — to go away

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