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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. pop — to visit
  3. ground — the earth
  4. ground — crushed
  5. rest — what's left
  6. pop — soda
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. bulb — for light
  9. rest — what's left
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. rock — a stone
  12. last — final
  13. bulb — for light
  14. pop — music
  15. can — a tin
  16. can — to be able to
  17. rest — a break
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. last — finally
  21. ground — a position
  22. rock — music
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  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