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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 116 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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. band — a ring
  4. ground — the earth
  5. cue — a signal
  6. row — a line
  7. band — a music group
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. cue — a hint
  10. fine — high quality
  11. wake — a trail
  12. ground — crushed
  13. cue — for pool
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. pop — to visit
  17. pop — soda
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. ground — a position
  23. row — to paddle
  24. pop — 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