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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. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. pop — music
  4. current — of water
  5. ball — a great time
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. board — a committee
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. ball — a dance
  10. perch — the fish
  11. pop — soda
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. current — electric
  14. squash — the sport
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. squash — to crush
  18. board — to get on
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. sharp — clever
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. dip — to sink
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. current — happening now

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