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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. march — the month
  3. swing — to play on
  4. ball — a dance
  5. mate — to breed
  6. track — to keep track
  7. march — the month
  8. hand — in cards
  9. hand — help
  10. march — music
  11. tube — the underground
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. rock — music
  14. rock — a stone
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. swing — music
  17. mate — a friend
  18. ball — a great time
  19. swing — in golf
  20. tube — a container
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. track — a path
  23. mate — a partner
  24. track — a song

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