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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. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. ground — a position
  3. ground — crushed
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. pop — soda
  7. ground — the earth
  8. charge — electricity
  9. rest — what's left
  10. pop — to visit
  11. track — a path
  12. track — to keep track
  13. stock — goods
  14. wax — to grow
  15. rest — what's left
  16. charge — in control
  17. wound — an injury
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. stock — shares
  20. wound — an injury
  21. track — a song
  22. rest — a break
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. charge — a price

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