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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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. bank — for money
  4. spring — of water
  5. scale — in music
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. last — finally
  8. scale — size or range
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. deal — to handle
  11. mate — to breed
  12. last — to go on
  13. bank — for money
  14. bank — of a river
  15. spring — the season
  16. spring — a coil
  17. kick — in football
  18. mark — a trace
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. mark — a grade
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. last — final
  24. deal — a big deal

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