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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 beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. face — part of the head
  4. mug — to rob
  5. present — there
  6. pop — to visit
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. mug — a cup
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. rash — hasty
  14. capital — a city
  15. mug — a face
  16. pop — soda
  17. face — to confront
  18. present — a gift
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. present — the time now
  21. date — the fruit
  22. face — to point toward
  23. rash — a series
  24. capital — money

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