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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. mate — a friend
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. race — a contest
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. perch — the fish
  8. season — of the year
  9. season — in sport
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. race — humankind
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. saw — the tool
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. race — the arms race
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. mate — a partner
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. saw — the tool
  24. safe — a strongbox

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