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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. rash — a series
  3. pass — a permit
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. last — to go on
  6. mine — for digging
  7. last — final
  8. staff — employees
  9. spring — of water
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. spring — the season
  13. pop — soda
  14. bass — low music
  15. staff — employees
  16. bass — the fish
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. last — finally
  19. staff — a stick
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. spring — a coil
  23. rash — hasty
  24. pop — to visit

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