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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. mate — a partner
  4. prune — to trim
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. rock — music
  8. rock — a stone
  9. mark — a grade
  10. prune — to trim
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. saw — the tool
  13. mate — to breed
  14. object — a thing
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. object — an aim
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. mark — a trace
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. object — to protest
  24. saw — the tool

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