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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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. swing — music
  3. pop — soda
  4. field — a subject
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. field — for sport
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. swing — in golf
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. rash — hasty
  12. scale — in music
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. pop — to visit
  16. fine — all right
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. field — farmland
  19. rash — a series
  20. wake — a trail
  21. sharp — clever
  22. scale — size or range
  23. swing — to play on
  24. fine — high quality

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