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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 116 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 don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. rock — music
  3. pop — music
  4. pop — to visit
  5. mate — a partner
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. pass — a permit
  8. mate — to breed
  9. pop — soda
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. wind — moving air
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. hand — help
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. hand — in cards
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. wind — moving air
  20. rock — a stone
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. mate — a friend

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