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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. lean — thin
  3. key — for a lock
  4. mate — to breed
  5. mate — a friend
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. ground — the earth
  8. bulb — for light
  9. net — after costs
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. net — in sport
  12. ground — a position
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. pound — a weight
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. key — the most important part
  18. key — in music
  19. lean — to bend
  20. ground — crushed
  21. bulb — for light
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. snap — to click
  24. net — for catching

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