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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. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. pop — music
  3. scale — in music
  4. scale — size or range
  5. spell — magic
  6. march — music
  7. spell — letters
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. ground — a position
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. ground — the earth
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. pop — to visit
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. march — the month
  18. march — the month
  19. spell — a short time
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. mine — for digging
  23. ground — crushed
  24. pop — soda

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