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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  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 — soda
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. swing — music
  10. prune — to trim
  11. pop — to visit
  12. prune — to trim
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. swing — to play on
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. pop — music
  18. cold — an illness
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. rock — a stone
  21. cold — not warm
  22. swing — in golf
  23. rock — music
  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