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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. pop — music
  3. spring — a coil
  4. wake — a trail
  5. squash — to crush
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. pop — to visit
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. net — in sport
  11. current — happening now
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. spring — the season
  14. net — after costs
  15. net — for catching
  16. spring — of water
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. current — electric
  21. current — of water
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. pop — soda
  24. pitch — completely

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