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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. mate — a friend
  3. pit — in a race
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. mate — to breed
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. row — to paddle
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. row — a line
  10. tear — from crying
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. bass — the fish
  13. tear — from crying
  14. pit — a hole
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. bass — low music
  17. tear — to rip
  18. mouse — for a computer

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