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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. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. fork — in a road
  3. key — in music
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. degree — an amount
  6. pop — soda
  7. swing — music
  8. mug — a face
  9. key — for a lock
  10. march — the month
  11. march — music
  12. shower — rain
  13. key — the most important part
  14. degree — from a university
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. shower — to wash
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. swing — in golf
  19. swing — to play on
  20. degree — temperature
  21. mug — to rob
  22. mug — a cup
  23. pop — to visit
  24. march — the month

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