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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. perch — the fish
  7. pop — soda
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. last — final
  10. cell — a phone
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. cell — in biology
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. craft — boats
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. craft — a skill
  22. last — finally
  23. last — to go on
  24. pop — to visit

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