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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. tear — from crying
  3. pop — soda
  4. land — a country
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. tear — to rip
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. land — to come down
  9. rest — a break
  10. rest — what's left
  11. board — to get on
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. pop — to visit
  14. bass — the fish
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. tear — from crying
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. land — ground
  20. bass — low music
  21. board — a committee
  22. rest — what's left
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. bass — the instrument

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