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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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. bear — the animal
  3. cue — a signal
  4. lie — to recline
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. bass — low music
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. pop — to visit
  10. squash — the sport
  11. rash — a series
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. squash — to crush
  16. bass — the fish
  17. cue — a hint
  18. bear — the animal
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. snap — to click
  21. rash — hasty
  22. cue — for pool
  23. pop — soda
  24. rash — on the skin

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