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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. pop — music
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. pop — to visit
  8. game — a match
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. bulb — for light
  13. pop — soda
  14. object — an aim
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. object — a thing
  17. season — of the year
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. season — in sport
  21. object — to protest
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. bulb — for light
  24. game — wild animals

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