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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. cell — a phone
  3. pop — soda
  4. rock — a stone
  5. suit — in cards
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. bat — the animal
  9. content — the amount
  10. court — of a king
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. rush — hurry
  15. pop — to visit
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. cell — in biology
  18. court — for sport
  19. suit — to fit
  20. court — of law
  21. rock — music
  22. content — happy
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. suit — clothes

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