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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. pop — soda
  4. scale — in music
  5. snap — to click
  6. bass — low music
  7. cap — a hat
  8. cap — a lid
  9. present — the time now
  10. cap — of ice
  11. bass — the fish
  12. scale — size or range
  13. rash — hasty
  14. rest — a break
  15. rest — what's left
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. present — a gift
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. present — there
  20. rash — a series
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. pop — to visit
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. rest — what's left

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