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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. chest — a box
  3. mate — a friend
  4. rock — a stone
  5. squash — to crush
  6. chest — of your body
  7. shower — rain
  8. squash — the sport
  9. mate — a partner
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. rock — music
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. chest — of your body
  15. fine — all right
  16. deal — to handle
  17. shower — to wash
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. fine — high quality

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