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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. band — a ring
  3. band — a music group
  4. game — a match
  5. mug — a cup
  6. mate — a partner
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. rule — a law
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. mate — a friend
  11. bear — the animal
  12. game — wild animals
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. bear — the animal
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. mug — a face
  19. pop — to visit
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. pop — music
  22. mug — to rob
  23. rule — government
  24. mate — to breed

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