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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. band — a music group
  3. ground — crushed
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. pop — soda
  6. saw — the tool
  7. ground — the earth
  8. chest — of your body
  9. chest — of your body
  10. toast — bread
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. band — a ring
  13. chest — a box
  14. pop — to visit
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. ground — a position
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. pop — music
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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