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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. can — a tin
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. roll — a list
  7. band — a music group
  8. bat — the animal
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. last — finally
  11. band — a ring
  12. pit — a hole
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. can — a tin
  15. roll — a cake
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. last — to go on
  18. can — to be able to
  19. mate — a partner
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. last — final
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. mate — a friend
  24. pit — in a race

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