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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. pit — a hole
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. pit — in a race
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. mark — a trace
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. drill — the tool
  15. mark — a grade
  16. pop — soda
  17. pop — music
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. rock — music
  20. rock — a stone
  21. drill — army training
  22. rash — a series
  23. rash — hasty
  24. drill — a practice

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