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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. mate — a friend
  4. club — for golf
  5. tube — the underground
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. mate — a partner
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. march — music
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. club — a group
  13. club — for dancing
  14. march — the month
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. mate — to breed
  18. march — the month
  19. tube — a container
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. ball — a great time
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. ball — a dance
  24. rush — hurry

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