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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. ground — a position
  3. mate — a friend
  4. mark — a trace
  5. mark — a grade
  6. mate — to breed
  7. cell — a phone
  8. game — wild animals
  9. mug — a cup
  10. ground — crushed
  11. mug — a face
  12. mug — to rob
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. cap — a hat
  15. present — the time now
  16. game — a match
  17. cell — in biology
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. cap — of ice
  20. mate — a partner
  21. ground — the earth
  22. present — there
  23. cap — a lid
  24. cell — in a prison

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