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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. pop — music
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. chair — a leader
  5. chip — for betting
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. mate — a friend
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. mate — to breed
  12. pop — to visit
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. season — in sport
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. wax — to grow
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. pop — soda
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. chip — to eat
  23. pitch — completely
  24. season — of the year

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