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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. pop — music
  3. prune — to trim
  4. march — the month
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. row — to paddle
  7. row — a line
  8. pop — to visit
  9. ground — a position
  10. bulb — for light
  11. stock — shares
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. stock — goods
  15. prune — to trim
  16. march — music
  17. ground — the earth
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. pop — soda
  21. ground — crushed
  22. march — the month
  23. bulb — for light
  24. mouse — for a computer

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