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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. 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. mate — a partner
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. pass — a permit
  4. mate — a friend
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. fine — high quality
  7. fine — all right
  8. bank — of a river
  9. bank — for money
  10. kid — to tease
  11. bank — for money
  12. bark — to shout
  13. kid — child
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. 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