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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. pop — to visit
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. pop — music
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. spring — a coil
  9. chair — a leader
  10. spring — the season
  11. pop — soda
  12. rash — a series
  13. bound — certain
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. bound — tied together
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. game — a match
  19. scale — size or range
  20. game — wild animals
  21. spring — of water
  22. rash — hasty
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. bound — obliged

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