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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. pass — a permit
  3. mate — to breed
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. craft — boats
  7. dip — to sink
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. wake — a trail
  11. mate — a friend
  12. content — happy
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. content — the amount
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. craft — a skill
  20. race — the arms race
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. race — a contest
  23. race — humankind
  24. dip — a sauce

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