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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'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. land — ground
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. saw — the tool
  5. drill — army training
  6. mate — a partner
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. drill — the tool
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. bass — low music
  11. bass — the fish
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. rush — hurry
  15. mark — a trace
  16. land — to come down
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. land — a country
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. saw — the tool
  22. mark — a grade
  23. mate — to breed
  24. drill — a practice

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