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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. tear — from crying
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. rock — a stone
  5. tear — to rip
  6. clip — for paper
  7. bass — low music
  8. clip — to cut
  9. face — to confront
  10. bass — the fish
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. face — part of the head
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. pop — to visit
  16. pop — soda
  17. clip — a video
  18. face — to point toward
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. rock — music
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. tear — from crying
  23. perch — the fish
  24. mouse — the animal

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