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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. wake — a trail
  3. mate — a partner
  4. rush — hurry
  5. net — for catching
  6. bear — the animal
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. bass — the fish
  9. bass — low music
  10. cap — of ice
  11. land — a country
  12. mate — to breed
  13. cap — a lid
  14. land — to come down
  15. land — ground
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. mate — a friend
  19. cap — a hat
  20. net — after costs
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. bear — the animal
  24. net — in sport

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