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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 120 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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. march — music
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. pop — soda
  5. present — a gift
  6. current — happening now
  7. march — the month
  8. squash — to crush
  9. pit — a hole
  10. current — electric
  11. ground — a position
  12. prune — to trim
  13. squash — the sport
  14. ground — the earth
  15. march — the month
  16. ground — crushed
  17. current — of water
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. prune — to trim
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. present — the time now
  22. present — there
  23. pit — in a race
  24. pop — music

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