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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. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. pop — to visit
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. chair — a leader
  9. pop — soda
  10. bass — low music
  11. last — final
  12. race — a contest
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. last — finally
  17. plane — a tool
  18. last — to go on
  19. race — the arms race
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. race — humankind
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. bass — the fish

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