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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. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. march — the month
  3. mate — to breed
  4. pop — to visit
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. mate — a partner
  7. ground — a position
  8. mate — a friend
  9. ground — the earth
  10. march — the month
  11. chest — of your body
  12. ground — crushed
  13. pop — soda
  14. march — music
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. dip — to sink
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. rock — music
  20. chest — a box
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. rock — a stone
  23. chest — of your body
  24. pop — music

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