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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. track — to keep track
  7. pop — music
  8. fine — high quality
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. track — a path
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. last — finally
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. fine — all right
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. pop — soda
  18. track — a song
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. last — to go on
  22. rush — hurry
  23. date — the fruit
  24. last — final

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