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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. mug — a face
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. mug — to rob
  6. march — music
  7. ball — a great time
  8. spell — magic
  9. chest — a box
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. pop — music
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. mug — a cup
  14. chest — of your body
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. spell — a short time
  18. march — the month
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. march — the month
  21. pop — soda
  22. chest — of your body
  23. spell — letters
  24. ball — a dance

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