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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. spell — magic
  3. snap — to click
  4. scale — size or range
  5. scale — in music
  6. pop — to visit
  7. pound — a weight
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. spell — letters
  11. rock — a stone
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. rock — music
  17. last — to go on
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. last — finally
  20. pop — soda
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. spell — a short time
  23. last — final
  24. rock — to move gently

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