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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. ball — a great time
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. chest — of your body
  6. pop — soda
  7. current — of water
  8. current — happening now
  9. craft — boats
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. ball — a dance
  13. chest — of your body
  14. pop — to visit
  15. chest — a box
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. craft — a skill
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. date — the fruit
  22. current — electric
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. lash — an eyelash

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