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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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. staff — a stick
  3. pop — to visit
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. shower — rain
  6. march — the month
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. shower — to wash
  9. prune — to trim
  10. pop — soda
  11. court — for sport
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. tube — a container
  14. march — music
  15. court — of law
  16. prune — to trim
  17. staff — employees
  18. march — the month
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. tube — the underground
  22. court — of a king
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. staff — employees

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