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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. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. pop — music
  3. bound — certain
  4. pop — to visit
  5. pop — soda
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. tube — the underground
  8. tube — a container
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. squash — the sport
  12. bound — obliged
  13. date — the fruit
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. squash — to crush
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. bound — tied together
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. row — to paddle
  24. row — a line

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