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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. pop — music
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. mate — to breed
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pitch — completely
  11. mate — a friend
  12. mate — a partner
  13. foot — a measure
  14. pop — soda
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. toast — bread
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. wake — a trail
  19. tear — to rip
  20. tear — from crying
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. tear — from crying
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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