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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. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. rush — hurry
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. spring — of water
  8. spring — the season
  9. bat — the animal
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. wind — moving air
  14. mate — to breed
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. wind — moving air
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. perch — the fish
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. mate — a partner
  22. spring — a coil
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. bat — in an idiom

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