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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. season — in sport
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. drill — army training
  7. drill — the tool
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. season — of the year
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. rock — a stone
  15. drill — a practice
  16. deal — to handle
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. deal — an agreement

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