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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. rest — what's left
  3. rash — hasty
  4. chip — to eat
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. rash — a series
  7. spring — the season
  8. rest — a break
  9. rock — a stone
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. pop — music
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. chip — for betting
  16. pop — to visit
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. pop — soda
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. spring — of water
  22. spring — a coil
  23. rest — what's left
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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