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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. rock — music
  3. mate — to breed
  4. dip — to sink
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. pop — music
  9. pop — to visit
  10. mate — a partner
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. mark — a trace
  14. pop — soda
  15. rock — a stone
  16. cold — not warm
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. mate — a friend
  19. mark — a grade
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. cold — an illness
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. rock — to move gently

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