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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. bound — certain
  3. mate — to breed
  4. bat — the animal
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. key — for a lock
  7. mark — a trace
  8. bound — tied together
  9. key — the most important part
  10. bound — obliged
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. mark — a grade
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. key — in music
  16. wind — moving air
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. game — wild animals
  19. pound — a weight
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. mate — a partner
  23. wind — moving air
  24. game — a match

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