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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. mate — to breed
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. mate — a partner
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. squash — the sport
  10. cell — in biology
  11. cap — a lid
  12. cell — a phone
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. cap — of ice
  15. pop — music
  16. pop — to visit
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. cap — a hat
  19. pop — soda
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. squash — to crush
  22. mate — a friend
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. rock — a stone

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