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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 kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. suit — to fit
  5. pitch — completely
  6. scale — size or range
  7. fine — all right
  8. cold — an illness
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. cold — not warm
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. suit — clothes
  14. fine — high quality
  15. scale — in music
  16. land — to come down
  17. land — ground
  18. land — a country
  19. pop — to visit
  20. pop — soda
  21. suit — in cards
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. cold — the Cold War

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