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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. ball — a dance
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. pop — music
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. track — to keep track
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. ball — a great time
  11. charge — a price
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. charge — in control
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. pop — to visit
  18. track — a song
  19. scale — in music
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. track — a path
  22. charge — electricity
  23. wake — a trail
  24. scale — size or range

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