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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. pop — music
  3. row — a line
  4. capital — money
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. kick — in football
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. content — the amount
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. row — to paddle
  14. content — happy
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. capital — a city
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. season — of the year
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. wake — a trail
  22. pop — soda
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. season — in sport

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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