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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. mate — a partner
  3. rush — hurry
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. bear — the animal
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. wax — to grow
  8. game — a match
  9. mate — a friend
  10. mate — to breed
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. pass — a permit
  14. chest — of your body
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. chest — a box
  18. chest — of your body
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. game — wild animals
  21. bear — the animal
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. fan — a supporter

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