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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. land — to come down
  3. ball — a great time
  4. scale — in music
  5. bass — the fish
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. prune — to trim
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. drill — army training
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. drill — a practice
  13. toast — bread
  14. bass — low music
  15. land — ground
  16. pop — music
  17. pop — soda
  18. drill — the tool
  19. scale — size or range
  20. prune — to trim
  21. land — a country
  22. ball — a dance
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. scale — for weighing

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