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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. bear — the animal
  3. club — for dancing
  4. pop — music
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. bear — the animal
  7. wound — an injury
  8. last — finally
  9. pop — soda
  10. rule — government
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. rush — hurry
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. pop — to visit
  18. last — to go on
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. rule — a law
  21. club — a group
  22. wound — an injury
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. club — for golf

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