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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. rock — music
  3. stand — to bear
  4. game — a match
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. game — wild animals
  7. pop — to visit
  8. kid — child
  9. rock — a stone
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. mug — a face
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. mug — a cup
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. lie — to recline
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. pop — soda
  21. kid — to tease
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. mug — to rob
  24. pop — music

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