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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. key — the most important part
  6. branch — a division
  7. wake — a trail
  8. pop — to visit
  9. net — in sport
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. key — in music
  12. key — for a lock
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. rock — music
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. net — after costs
  17. net — for catching
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. pop — soda
  20. bat — the animal
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. rock — a stone
  24. branch — of a bank

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