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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. game — wild animals
  4. club — for golf
  5. saw — the tool
  6. roll — a list
  7. rash — a series
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. pop — soda
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. game — a match
  14. rash — hasty
  15. pop — to visit
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. roll — a cake
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. wax — to grow
  21. club — a group
  22. saw — the tool
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. club — for dancing

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