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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. season — of the year
  3. wound — an injury
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. season — in sport
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. mate — a friend
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. wound — an injury
  17. mate — to breed
  18. deal — to handle
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. rush — hurry
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. dip — to sink

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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