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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. spring — the season
  3. snap — to click
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. spring — of water
  7. suit — to fit
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. cap — of ice
  10. land — to come down
  11. spring — a coil
  12. pop — soda
  13. suit — clothes
  14. cap — a hat
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. land — a country
  17. land — ground
  18. toast — bread
  19. pass — a permit
  20. pop — to visit
  21. cap — a lid
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. suit — in cards
  24. pass — to spend 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