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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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. mark — a trace
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. can — a tin
  5. band — a music group
  6. last — final
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. mate — a friend
  10. last — to go on
  11. mark — a grade
  12. last — finally
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. mate — to breed
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. band — a ring
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. can — a tin
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. can — to be able to
  23. vault — a safe
  24. band — a rubber band

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