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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. rash — a series
  3. pop — music
  4. firm — a company
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. firm — steady
  7. pop — to visit
  8. spring — the season
  9. spring — of water
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. rash — hasty
  12. rock — music
  13. rock — a stone
  14. squash — to crush
  15. spring — a coil
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. net — in sport
  18. net — after costs
  19. firm — decided
  20. pop — soda
  21. net — for catching
  22. squash — the sport
  23. band — a ring
  24. band — a music group

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