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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. cold — not warm
  3. pop — music
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. can — a tin
  7. pit — in a race
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. rash — hasty
  10. deal — to handle
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. saw — the tool
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. pit — a hole
  15. can — a tin
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. pop — to visit
  19. cold — an illness
  20. saw — the tool
  21. pop — soda
  22. can — to be able to
  23. rash — a series
  24. rash — on the skin

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