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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 124 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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. wake — a trail
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. pop — soda
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. tube — a container
  10. season — of the year
  11. bear — the animal
  12. march — the month
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. tube — the underground
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. pop — to visit
  17. bear — the animal
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. march — music
  21. season — in sport
  22. march — the month
  23. date — the fruit
  24. date — on the calendar

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