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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. bear — the animal
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. wound — an injury
  9. wound — an injury
  10. mate — a partner
  11. kid — to tease
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. saw — the tool
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. bear — the animal
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. pitch — completely
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. mate — a friend
  23. saw — the tool
  24. kid — child

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