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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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. hide — to keep secret
  4. mate — to breed
  5. mug — a face
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. pitch — completely
  9. net — for catching
  10. saw — the tool
  11. net — after costs
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. mug — to rob
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. mug — a cup
  16. saw — the tool
  17. net — in sport
  18. hide — to keep secret

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