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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 computer ________________ on the table.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. fine — all right
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. mate — a partner
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. scale — in music
  10. last — finally
  11. last — to go on
  12. chip — for betting
  13. last — final
  14. mate — to breed
  15. kick — in football
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. chip — to eat
  19. scale — size or range
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. fine — high quality
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. pound — a weight

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