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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. shower — to wash
  3. rest — what's left
  4. firm — decided
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. firm — steady
  8. race — a contest
  9. shower — rain
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. rest — what's left
  13. race — humankind
  14. capital — a city
  15. net — after costs
  16. firm — a company
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. pop — to visit
  19. rest — a break
  20. capital — money
  21. race — the arms race
  22. pop — soda
  23. net — in sport
  24. net — for catching

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