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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. rest — what's left
  3. roll — a list
  4. pop — music
  5. roll — a cake
  6. bulb — for light
  7. rest — a break
  8. present — a gift
  9. pop — soda
  10. ball — a great time
  11. land — a country
  12. present — there
  13. land — to come down
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. bulb — for light
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. chest — a box
  19. chest — of your body
  20. pop — to visit
  21. land — ground
  22. present — the time now
  23. chest — of your body
  24. rest — what's left

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