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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. hand — in cards
  3. pop — music
  4. pop — to visit
  5. pop — soda
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. drill — a practice
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. drill — the tool
  11. mate — a friend
  12. wind — moving air
  13. hand — help
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. drill — army training
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. mate — to breed
  20. bass — low music
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. bass — the fish
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. wind — moving air

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