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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 116 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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. pop — to visit
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. pop — soda
  6. rush — hurry
  7. mate — to breed
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. tear — to rip
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. ground — the earth
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. tear — from crying
  15. tear — from crying
  16. rock — music
  17. rock — a stone
  18. pop — music
  19. mate — a friend
  20. mate — a partner
  21. band — a music group
  22. ground — a position
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. band — a ring

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