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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. saw — the tool
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. tear — to rip
  5. swing — music
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. pop — soda
  9. swing — in golf
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. saw — the tool
  12. rock — a stone
  13. scale — size or range
  14. swing — to play on
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. capital — a city
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. scale — in music
  20. capital — money
  21. rock — music
  22. pop — to visit
  23. tear — from crying
  24. tear — from crying

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