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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. pop — to visit
  3. band — a ring
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. fall — to drop
  6. fall — to drop
  7. mate — a partner
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. cue — for pool
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. cue — a signal
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. ground — crushed
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. band — a music group
  18. mate — to breed
  19. fall — the season
  20. ground — a position
  21. cue — a hint
  22. pop — music
  23. ground — the earth
  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