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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. court — of a king
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. pop — to visit
  6. pop — soda
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. court — for sport
  9. rule — a law
  10. cold — not warm
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. bulb — for light
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. roll — a cake
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. cold — an illness
  18. court — of law
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. roll — a list
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. rule — government
  23. bulb — for light
  24. jam — in traffic

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