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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. club — a group
  3. saw — the tool
  4. present — the time now
  5. dip — to sink
  6. wound — an injury
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. saw — the tool
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. present — there
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. wound — an injury
  13. spell — letters
  14. bass — the fish
  15. bass — low music
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. present — a gift
  19. pop — to visit
  20. club — for dancing
  21. spell — a short time
  22. spell — magic
  23. pop — soda
  24. club — for golf

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