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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. swing — music
  5. tube — the underground
  6. swing — to play on
  7. pit — a hole
  8. swing — in golf
  9. current — electric
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. saw — the tool
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. current — happening now
  15. bat — the animal
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. current — of water
  18. pit — in a race
  19. pop — soda
  20. tube — a container
  21. saw — the tool
  22. pop — to visit
  23. mine — for digging
  24. tube — in a tire

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