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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 124 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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. firm — decided
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. capital — money
  5. pop — music
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. mark — a grade
  8. mark — a trace
  9. pop — to visit
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. rule — a law
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. firm — a company
  14. shower — to wash
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. ball — a dance
  18. shower — rain
  19. firm — steady
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. rule — government
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. ball — a great time
  24. capital — a city

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