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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 124 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. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. net — in sport
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. plane — a tool
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. wax — to grow
  10. mate — a friend
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. mate — to breed
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. bore — to tire
  16. fine — all right
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. bore — to drill
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. fine — high quality
  23. net — after costs
  24. net — for catching

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