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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. kid — child
  3. kid — to tease
  4. mate — a friend
  5. suit — in cards
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. bat — the animal
  8. suit — to fit
  9. pop — music
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. race — humankind
  12. roll — a list
  13. bass — the fish
  14. race — the arms race
  15. mate — a partner
  16. bass — low music
  17. race — a contest
  18. suit — clothes
  19. pop — to visit
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. mate — to breed
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. pop — soda
  24. bat — for baseball

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