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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. mate — a partner
  3. shower — rain
  4. scale — in music
  5. mate — to breed
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. bound — tied together
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. pit — a hole
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. pit — in a race
  15. mine — for digging
  16. scale — size or range
  17. bound — certain
  18. pop — to visit
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. shower — to wash
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. mate — a friend
  23. bound — obliged
  24. pop — soda

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