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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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  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. drill — army training
  2. rock — music
  3. chest — of your body
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. roll — a list
  6. club — a group
  7. content — happy
  8. pop — soda
  9. drill — a practice
  10. mate — a friend
  11. drill — the tool
  12. mate — to breed
  13. content — the amount
  14. chest — of your body
  15. club — for golf
  16. club — for dancing
  17. rock — a stone
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. roll — a cake
  21. pop — to visit
  22. chest — a box
  23. mate — a partner
  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