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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. last — final
  3. band — a ring
  4. track — to keep track
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. track — a path
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. track — a song
  10. last — finally
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. ball — a dance
  13. wake — a trail
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. last — to go on
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. band — a music group
  18. pop — to visit
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. pop — soda
  22. ball — a great time
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. arm — a part of something

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