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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 like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. toast — bread
  3. lean — thin
  4. object — a thing
  5. wind — moving air
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. degree — an amount
  8. lean — to bend
  9. ball — a great time
  10. bore — to drill
  11. bore — to tire
  12. object — an aim
  13. pop — soda
  14. degree — from a university
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. degree — temperature
  18. pop — to visit
  19. wind — moving air
  20. ball — a dance
  21. object — to protest
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. toast — the most admired

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