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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 116 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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. rush — hurry
  4. wake — a trail
  5. mate — a friend
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. mark — a grade
  9. pitch — completely
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. ball — a dance
  12. mate — to breed
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. mate — a partner
  16. race — a contest
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. race — humankind
  20. row — to paddle
  21. race — the arms race
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. row — a line
  24. mark — a trace

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