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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 120 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. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. suit — clothes
  3. game — wild animals
  4. ground — a position
  5. bat — the animal
  6. wind — moving air
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. game — a match
  9. wind — moving air
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. rush — hurry
  12. suit — to fit
  13. ground — crushed
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. pop — to visit
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. suit — in cards
  20. vault — a safe
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. ground — the earth
  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