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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 120 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 want to ________________ the boat.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. game — wild animals
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. pop — soda
  5. rock — a stone
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. game — a match
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. pop — to visit
  11. bound — tied together
  12. pop — music
  13. chest — a box
  14. chest — of your body
  15. rock — music
  16. saw — the tool
  17. chest — of your body
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. bound — certain
  20. bound — obliged
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. pitch — completely
  23. saw — the tool
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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