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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. present — a gift
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. present — the time now
  5. wake — a trail
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. mate — a partner
  8. saw — the tool
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. present — there
  12. scale — size or range
  13. mate — to breed
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. scale — in music
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. bore — to drill
  20. capital — money
  21. capital — a city
  22. bore — to tire
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. saw — the tool

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