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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. wake — a trail
  4. ground — the earth
  5. chair — a leader
  6. prune — to trim
  7. prune — to trim
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. pop — soda
  10. ground — a position
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. pop — to visit
  13. ground — crushed
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. saw — the tool
  22. saw — the tool
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. lie — to recline

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