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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. mate — a partner
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. saw — the tool
  7. last — finally
  8. mate — a friend
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. row — a line
  13. last — to go on
  14. game — wild animals
  15. sharp — clever
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. last — final
  18. lie — to recline
  19. game — a match
  20. mate — to breed
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. row — to paddle
  24. game — a kind of play

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