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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. pop — music
  3. track — a song
  4. ground — the earth
  5. present — the time now
  6. ground — a position
  7. present — a gift
  8. shower — to wash
  9. shower — rain
  10. track — to keep track
  11. track — a path
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. pop — to visit
  15. can — to be able to
  16. wound — an injury
  17. suit — to fit
  18. suit — clothes
  19. suit — in cards
  20. pop — soda
  21. wound — an injury
  22. present — there
  23. can — a tin
  24. ground — crushed

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