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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. mate — a friend
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. fork — in a road
  5. tube — the underground
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. tube — a container
  8. roll — a list
  9. stand — to bear
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. mate — to breed
  23. chair — a leader
  24. roll — a cake

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