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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. mate — a friend
  3. chip — to eat
  4. pop — music
  5. swing — to play on
  6. chest — of your body
  7. pop — to visit
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. chest — a box
  10. chip — for betting
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. pop — soda
  13. mate — a partner
  14. pit — a hole
  15. pit — in a race
  16. swing — in golf
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. rash — a series
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. rash — hasty
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. chest — of your body
  24. swing — music

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