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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 116 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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. can — to be able to
  3. mug — a face
  4. cold — not warm
  5. mug — a cup
  6. object — an aim
  7. cold — an illness
  8. pop — soda
  9. mug — to rob
  10. pop — to visit
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. perch — the fish
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. object — to protest
  15. kid — to tease
  16. object — a thing
  17. can — a tin
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. wake — a trail
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. kid — child
  24. can — a tin

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