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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. staff — employees
  3. pitch — completely
  4. mate — to breed
  5. cap — of ice
  6. cap — a lid
  7. mate — a friend
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. spell — magic
  10. last — finally
  11. spell — a short time
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. spell — letters
  14. last — to go on
  15. cap — a hat
  16. hand — help
  17. staff — employees
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. hand — in cards
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. staff — a stick
  22. last — final
  23. rock — music
  24. rock — a stone

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