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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. bound — obliged
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. pop — to visit
  5. capital — money
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. vault — a safe
  11. toast — bread
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. swing — in golf
  14. wax — to grow
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. bound — certain
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. swing — music
  19. capital — a city
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. swing — to play on
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. pop — soda
  24. bound — tied together

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