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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. ball — a dance
  3. field — farmland
  4. ball — a great time
  5. field — a subject
  6. pop — to visit
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. track — a song
  10. squash — the sport
  11. squash — to crush
  12. key — the most important part
  13. key — in music
  14. field — for sport
  15. track — to keep track
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. pop — soda
  20. key — for a lock
  21. track — a path
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. ball — a round shape

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