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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. pop — to visit
  4. ball — a great time
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. face — part of the head
  7. pop — soda
  8. pop — music
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. face — to confront
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. kid — to tease
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. face — to point toward
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. ball — a dance
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. kid — child
  24. pass — a permit

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