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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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. prune — to trim
  3. spell — letters
  4. ground — crushed
  5. ground — a position
  6. pop — music
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. spell — a short time
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. dip — to sink
  12. spell — magic
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. charge — electricity
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. charge — a price
  17. ground — the earth
  18. prune — to trim
  19. scale — size or range
  20. pop — to visit
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. pop — soda
  23. charge — in control
  24. scale — in music

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