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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 116 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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. mate — a friend
  3. shower — rain
  4. march — the month
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. pop — soda
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. pop — music
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. prune — to trim
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. march — the month
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. mate — a partner
  18. mate — to breed
  19. prune — to trim
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. shower — to wash
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. march — music
  24. mouse — for a computer

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