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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. pop — music
  3. season — in sport
  4. track — to keep track
  5. ball — a dance
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. bound — obliged
  8. saw — the tool
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. pop — soda
  12. pop — to visit
  13. bound — tied together
  14. saw — the tool
  15. track — a path
  16. cell — in biology
  17. bound — certain
  18. kid — child
  19. kid — to tease
  20. track — a song
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. ball — a great time
  24. cell — a phone

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