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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. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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. perch — for a bird
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. spring — of water
  6. pit — in a race
  7. cold — not warm
  8. bear — the animal
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. bear — the animal
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. pit — a hole
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. cold — an illness
  17. spring — the season
  18. spring — a coil
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. mate — a partner
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. perch — the fish

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