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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. bound — certain
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. object — an aim
  5. fine — high quality
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. fine — all right
  8. land — a country
  9. land — to come down
  10. root — the cause
  11. object — to protest
  12. pop — to visit
  13. land — ground
  14. wind — moving air
  15. root — of a plant
  16. object — a thing
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. wind — moving air
  19. bound — obliged
  20. pop — soda
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. root — of a word
  24. bound — tied together

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