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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. chest — of your body
  3. mug — to rob
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. pop — soda
  8. hand — help
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. chest — a box
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. pop — to visit
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. mug — a cup
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. hand — in cards
  21. chest — of your body
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. mug — a face
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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