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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 116 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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. mate — to breed
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. deal — to handle
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. season — of the year
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. mark — a trace
  10. rush — hurry
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. wax — to grow
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. mate — a partner
  16. mark — a grade
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. stock — goods
  20. stock — shares
  21. season — in sport
  22. plane — a tool
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. mate — a friend

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