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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. spring — a coil
  3. suit — clothes
  4. pound — a weight
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. stem — to come from
  7. suit — in cards
  8. chest — of your body
  9. mate — a partner
  10. spring — of water
  11. rule — government
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. spring — the season
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. chest — of your body
  16. rule — a law
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. chest — a box
  22. mate — to breed
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. suit — to fit

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