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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. wake — a trail
  3. pop — music
  4. snap — to click
  5. spring — of water
  6. spell — a short time
  7. can — a tin
  8. swing — in golf
  9. can — a tin
  10. can — to be able to
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. pop — soda
  13. pop — to visit
  14. spell — letters
  15. spell — magic
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. march — the month
  18. march — music
  19. swing — to play on
  20. swing — music
  21. spring — a coil
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. spring — the season
  24. wake — before a funeral

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