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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. mate — to breed
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. chest — of your body
  9. mate — a partner
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. race — humankind
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. pop — soda
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. chest — of your body
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. mate — a friend
  19. race — a contest
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. chest — a box
  22. pop — to visit
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. race — the arms race

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