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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 got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. fine — high quality
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. last — to go on
  8. mate — a partner
  9. bore — to tire
  10. last — finally
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. last — final
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. rush — hurry
  16. bore — to drill
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. prune — to trim
  20. fine — all right
  21. mate — to breed
  22. prune — to trim
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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