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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. rest — a break
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. pop — to visit
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. track — to keep track
  7. squash — the sport
  8. pop — music
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. game — a match
  13. track — a song
  14. pop — soda
  15. bass — the fish
  16. rest — what's left
  17. track — a path
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. squash — to crush
  20. game — wild animals
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. bass — low music
  23. rest — what's left
  24. bass — the instrument

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