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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. pit — in a race
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. spell — letters
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. hand — help
  7. pop — soda
  8. pit — a hole
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. mine — for digging
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. spell — a short time
  13. bass — low music
  14. mate — a friend
  15. pop — to visit
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. mate — a partner
  18. spell — magic
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. bass — the fish
  23. pop — music
  24. mate — to breed

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