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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  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. rash — hasty
  2. pop — music
  3. mate — to breed
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. game — a match
  6. sharp — clever
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. board — a committee
  10. scale — in music
  11. game — wild animals
  12. mate — a partner
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. pop — to visit
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. rash — a series
  18. pop — soda
  19. scale — size or range
  20. board — to get on
  21. mate — a friend
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. sharp — exactly
  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