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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. mate — to breed
  3. chest — of your body
  4. club — for dancing
  5. saw — the tool
  6. fine — all right
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. chest — of your body
  9. object — a thing
  10. object — to protest
  11. club — for golf
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. chest — a box
  16. fine — high quality
  17. mate — a friend
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. saw — the tool
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. club — a group
  24. object — an aim

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