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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. pop — soda
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. can — a tin
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. club — for golf
  9. club — a group
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. kid — to tease
  12. rock — music
  13. can — to be able to
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. clip — a video
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. can — a tin
  18. clip — for paper
  19. pop — to visit
  20. rock — a stone
  21. pop — music
  22. clip — to cut
  23. club — for dancing
  24. kid — child

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