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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 116 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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. mate — a friend
  3. kid — to tease
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. tube — a container
  6. spell — magic
  7. mine — for digging
  8. tube — the underground
  9. mug — to rob
  10. mate — a partner
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. rush — hurry
  13. spell — letters
  14. mug — a face
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. mug — a cup
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. kid — child
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. spell — a short time

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