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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. track — a song
  3. squash — the sport
  4. cold — an illness
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. rock — music
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. track — to keep track
  10. pop — soda
  11. fine — all right
  12. fine — high quality
  13. rest — a break
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. rock — a stone
  16. pound — a weight
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. pop — to visit
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. track — a path
  21. cold — not warm
  22. rest — what's left
  23. rest — what's left
  24. squash — to crush

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