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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. mate — a friend
  3. swing — to play on
  4. band — a ring
  5. bear — the animal
  6. mate — to breed
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. mate — a partner
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. bear — the animal
  13. swing — in golf
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. swing — music
  16. pop — soda
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. perch — the fish
  19. kid — child
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. kid — to tease
  23. pop — to visit
  24. band — a music group

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