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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. shower — to wash
  3. shower — rain
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. pop — to visit
  8. pop — soda
  9. cap — a hat
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. cap — a lid
  12. bound — obliged
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. can — a tin
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. can — to be able to
  18. bound — tied together
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. bound — certain
  21. cap — of ice
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. can — a tin

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