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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. staff — employees
  3. saw — the tool
  4. mate — a friend
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. squash — to crush
  7. suit — to fit
  8. suit — in cards
  9. sharp — clever
  10. saw — the tool
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. suit — clothes
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. staff — a stick
  16. field — farmland
  17. squash — the sport
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. field — a subject
  21. field — for sport
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. staff — employees
  24. mate — a partner

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