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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. snap — to click
  3. rock — music
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. rock — a stone
  6. pop — music
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. can — a tin
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. pop — to visit
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. can — to be able to
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. can — a tin
  20. ball — a great time
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. mine — for digging
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. pop — soda

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