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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. pop — music
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. hand — help
  9. chest — of your body
  10. pop — soda
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. chest — of your body
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. chest — a box
  16. hand — in cards
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. stick — a piece of wood

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