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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. mate — a partner
  3. snap — to click
  4. net — in sport
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. pop — soda
  9. foot — a measure
  10. mate — to breed
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. cap — of ice
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. pitch — completely
  16. net — after costs
  17. net — for catching
  18. cap — a hat
  19. mine — for digging
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. mate — a friend
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. cap — a lid
  24. pop — to visit

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