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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 120 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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. wound — an injury
  5. rock — a stone
  6. object — an aim
  7. object — to protest
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. wound — an injury
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. bat — the animal
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. tube — a container
  15. current — happening now
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. tube — the underground
  19. current — electric
  20. mate — to breed
  21. mate — a friend
  22. current — of water
  23. object — a thing
  24. rock — music

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