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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 120 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 thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. bear — the animal
  5. stock — goods
  6. band — a ring
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. band — a music group
  12. bear — the animal
  13. sharp — clever
  14. fall — the season
  15. stock — shares
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. pop — to visit
  20. pop — soda
  21. fall — to drop
  22. bark — to shout
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. fall — to drop

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