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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. rock — music
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. swing — to play on
  5. drill — the tool
  6. mate — a friend
  7. wake — a trail
  8. drill — army training
  9. chip — for betting
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. swing — music
  13. mate — a partner
  14. drill — a practice
  15. chip — to eat
  16. rock — a stone
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. mate — to breed
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. pound — a weight
  22. swing — in golf
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. pound — to hit hard

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