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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. mug — a face
  3. rock — music
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. prune — to trim
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. squash — the sport
  8. vault — a safe
  9. mate — to breed
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. mug — a cup
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. squash — to crush
  15. fine — all right
  16. fine — high quality
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. prune — to trim
  19. sharp — clever
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. rock — a stone
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. mate — a friend
  24. mug — to rob

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