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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 120 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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. spring — a coil
  3. spring — the season
  4. bore — to tire
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. pop — music
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. row — to paddle
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. sharp — clever
  14. spring — of water
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. squash — to crush
  18. pop — to visit
  19. squash — the sport
  20. bore — to drill
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. row — a line
  23. wake — a trail
  24. sharp — with an edge

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