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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. object — to protest
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. current — happening now
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. rest — a break
  9. rest — what's left
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. rest — what's left
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. file — a tool
  14. deal — to handle
  15. current — of water
  16. current — electric
  17. file — a line of people
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. mate — a partner
  21. object — an aim
  22. file — a document
  23. mate — to breed
  24. object — a thing

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