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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 120 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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. pop — music
  4. chip — for betting
  5. kid — child
  6. perch — the fish
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. last — to go on
  9. mate — to breed
  10. kid — to tease
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. mate — a partner
  13. last — finally
  14. chip — to eat
  15. last — final
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. ball — a dance
  19. mate — a friend
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. pop — soda
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. ball — a great time

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