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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. mate — a partner
  3. ground — a position
  4. plane — a tool
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. mate — to breed
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. ground — crushed
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. season — of the year
  15. mate — a friend
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. season — in sport
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. ground — the earth
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. rush — hurry

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