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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 120 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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. squash — to crush
  6. mate — a friend
  7. mate — to breed
  8. degree — from a university
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. last — finally
  13. last — to go on
  14. can — a tin
  15. squash — the sport
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. last — final
  18. bore — to tire
  19. wake — a trail
  20. degree — temperature
  21. bore — to drill
  22. can — a tin
  23. degree — an amount
  24. can — to be able to

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