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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. pop — music
  3. court — of a king
  4. march — music
  5. court — of law
  6. track — to keep track
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. fine — all right
  10. march — the month
  11. pop — soda
  12. pop — to visit
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. march — the month
  16. fine — high quality
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. track — a path
  20. dip — to sink
  21. track — a song
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. court — for sport
  24. mine — an explosive

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