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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. scale — in music
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. pop — music
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. key — the most important part
  8. spring — a coil
  9. scale — size or range
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. key — in music
  13. bark — to shout
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. rule — a law
  16. key — for a lock
  17. pop — soda
  18. rule — government
  19. spring — of water
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. spring — the season
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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