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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. pop — to visit
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. cap — of ice
  5. rock — a stone
  6. bat — the animal
  7. track — a path
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. track — to keep track
  10. current — happening now
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. rock — music
  13. current — electric
  14. wound — an injury
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. pop — soda
  17. current — of water
  18. cap — a lid
  19. track — a song
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. wound — an injury
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. cap — a hat

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