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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. pop — soda
  3. land — a country
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. pop — to visit
  6. net — in sport
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. shower — to wash
  10. content — the amount
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. net — for catching
  13. shower — rain
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. present — there
  16. content — happy
  17. land — ground
  18. present — the time now
  19. ball — a dance
  20. net — after costs
  21. land — to come down
  22. present — a gift
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. ball — a great time

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