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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 116 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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. rule — a law
  3. rule — government
  4. court — for sport
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. pop — to visit
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. track — to keep track
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. court — of law
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. current — happening now
  13. track — a song
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. track — a path
  16. current — electric
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. court — of a king
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. sharp — clever
  21. pop — soda
  22. prune — to trim
  23. prune — to trim
  24. current — of water

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