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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. mug — a face
  3. mate — a partner
  4. club — a group
  5. net — in sport
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. rest — what's left
  8. object — an aim
  9. object — to protest
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. object — a thing
  12. net — after costs
  13. mug — to rob
  14. rest — a break
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. net — for catching
  17. mug — a cup
  18. fork — in a road
  19. mine — for digging
  20. club — for dancing
  21. mate — to breed
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. club — for golf
  24. rest — what's left

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