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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. cap — of ice
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. cap — a lid
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. bass — low music
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. bass — the fish
  9. chair — a leader
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. row — a line
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. prune — to trim
  17. sharp — clever
  18. pop — to visit
  19. row — to paddle
  20. pop — soda
  21. prune — to trim
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. cap — a hat

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