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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 people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. spring — of water
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. wake — a trail
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. mug — to rob
  11. rash — hasty
  12. fork — in a road
  13. pop — soda
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. mug — a face
  16. band — a music group
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. spring — a coil
  19. spring — the season
  20. mug — a cup
  21. rash — a series
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. band — a ring
  24. pop — to visit

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