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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. mug — a face
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. march — music
  6. march — the month
  7. sharp — clever
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. mug — a cup
  11. mate — a friend
  12. mug — to rob
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. mate — to breed
  15. bore — to tire
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. march — the month
  18. bore — to drill

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