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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. track — a song
  4. pop — soda
  5. wake — a trail
  6. bat — the animal
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. firm — decided
  9. spring — of water
  10. firm — steady
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. toast — bread
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. pop — music
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. track — a path
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. firm — a company
  20. track — to keep track
  21. perch — the fish
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. spring — a coil
  24. spring — the season

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