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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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. cell — in biology
  4. cell — a phone
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. drill — a practice
  7. mate — to breed
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. drill — the tool
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. pop — soda
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. pop — to visit
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. mate — a friend
  21. wind — moving air
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. wind — moving air
  24. drill — army training

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