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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. degree — from a university
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. wake — a trail
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. firm — steady
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. firm — decided
  13. firm — a company
  14. degree — an amount
  15. kid — child
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. degree — temperature
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. pop — to visit
  22. kid — to tease
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. pop — soda

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