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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. cap — a lid
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. suit — clothes
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. cap — of ice
  8. cap — a hat
  9. mate — a partner
  10. suit — to fit
  11. land — to come down
  12. hand — in cards
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. hand — help
  15. track — a path
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. land — ground
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. land — a country
  20. track — to keep track
  21. track — a song
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. mate — a friend
  24. suit — in cards

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