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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. fine — all right
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. rest — what's left
  5. rest — what's left
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. rest — a break
  8. mate — a partner
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. file — a line of people
  11. file — a tool
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. fine — high quality
  15. mate — to breed
  16. file — a document
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. fine — a penalty

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