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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. rash — hasty
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. rock — a stone
  7. root — of a plant
  8. pop — soda
  9. pop — to visit
  10. root — the cause
  11. bound — certain
  12. rash — a series
  13. bound — tied together
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. root — of a word
  16. bound — obliged
  17. bass — low music
  18. date — the fruit
  19. bass — the fish
  20. swing — to play on
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. rock — music
  23. swing — in golf
  24. swing — music

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