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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 120 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. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. rash — hasty
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. pop — soda
  5. court — for sport
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. pound — a weight
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. ground — the earth
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. sharp — clever
  13. court — of a king
  14. bass — low music
  15. vault — a safe
  16. bass — the fish
  17. court — of law
  18. ground — crushed
  19. pop — to visit
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. rash — a series
  24. ground — a position

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