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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. pop — music
  3. march — music
  4. tube — the underground
  5. roll — a list
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. march — the month
  8. ball — a dance
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. tube — a container
  11. roll — a cake
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. pop — soda
  14. can — to be able to
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. can — a tin
  20. foot — a measure
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. can — a tin
  23. pop — to visit
  24. ball — a great time

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