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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. mate — a friend
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. chest — of your body
  7. ground — the earth
  8. ground — crushed
  9. cell — in biology
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. chest — of your body
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. ground — a position
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. chest — a box
  19. wake — a trail
  20. cell — a phone
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. foot — a measure
  24. mate — a partner

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