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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. rock — a stone
  3. content — the amount
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. hand — in cards
  6. pop — music
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. date — the fruit
  9. ball — a great time
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. hand — help
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. prune — to trim
  14. rock — music
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. pop — soda
  17. content — happy
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. spell — magic
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. spell — a short time
  22. ball — a dance
  23. prune — to trim
  24. spell — letters

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