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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. last — finally
  3. bear — the animal
  4. pop — music
  5. wake — a trail
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. last — to go on
  8. cold — an illness
  9. pop — to visit
  10. cold — not warm
  11. charge — electricity
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. charge — a price
  15. track — to keep track
  16. charge — in control
  17. pop — soda
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. bear — the animal
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. last — final
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. track — a path

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