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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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. row — to paddle
  3. roll — a cake
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. mate — to breed
  8. row — a line
  9. chest — a box
  10. mate — a partner
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. roll — a list
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. mine — for digging
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. chest — of your body
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. pitch — completely
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. chest — of your body

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