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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 120 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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. fall — to drop
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. fall — the season
  5. mate — a partner
  6. mate — to breed
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. craft — boats
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. bass — the fish
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. spring — the season
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. spring — of water
  16. spring — a coil
  17. kick — in football
  18. rock — music
  19. rock — a stone
  20. craft — a skill
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. bass — low music
  23. fall — to drop
  24. hide — to keep secret

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