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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 would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. pop — to visit
  3. rest — what's left
  4. pop — music
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. drill — the tool
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. bear — the animal
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. drill — army training
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. mate — a partner
  14. cold — an illness
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. bear — the animal
  17. pop — soda
  18. drill — a practice
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. mate — to breed
  21. snap — to click
  22. cold — not warm
  23. rest — what's left
  24. mate — a friend

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