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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. pop — music
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. kick — in football
  5. fall — to drop
  6. fall — the season
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. mine — for digging
  9. pop — to visit
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. craft — a skill
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. cell — a phone
  17. cell — in biology
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. fall — to drop
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. wake — a trail
  24. craft — boats

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