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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. hand — help
  3. saw — the tool
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. pop — soda
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. rush — hurry
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. hand — in cards
  12. rash — a series
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. wound — an injury
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. wound — an injury
  17. mate — to breed
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. pop — music
  20. mate — a friend
  21. saw — the tool
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. rash — hasty
  24. mate — a partner

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