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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. file — a tool
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. file — a line of people
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. ground — a position
  8. craft — a skill
  9. kid — to tease
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. ground — crushed
  12. bulb — for light
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. pop — to visit
  15. kid — child
  16. ground — the earth
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. craft — boats
  19. bulb — for light
  20. file — a document
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. pop — soda
  24. coach — a trainer

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