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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. pop — to visit
  4. mate — a partner
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. hand — help
  7. mate — to breed
  8. bear — the animal
  9. chair — a leader
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. pop — soda
  12. bear — the animal
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. perch — the fish
  16. hand — in cards
  17. pop — music
  18. perch — for a bird

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