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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. ball — a great time
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. mate — a friend
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. cold — not warm
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. march — the month
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. mate — to breed
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. march — the month
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. cold — an illness
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. ball — a dance
  22. march — music
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. rush — hurry

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