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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. cap — a lid
  3. cap — a hat
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. mate — a friend
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. pop — music
  8. scale — size or range
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. snap — to click
  11. cap — of ice
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. mate — to breed
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. pop — soda
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. pop — to visit
  18. pound — a weight
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. stock — shares
  21. chair — a leader
  22. scale — in music
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. stock — goods

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