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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. pop — music
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. pass — a permit
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. cell — a phone
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. wake — a trail
  17. wound — an injury
  18. cell — in biology
  19. pop — to visit
  20. kick — in football
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. wound — an injury
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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