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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. prune — to trim
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. mug — to rob
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. mate — to breed
  11. spell — a short time
  12. spell — magic
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. mug — a face
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. prune — to trim
  17. mate — a partner
  18. saw — the tool
  19. saw — the tool
  20. toast — bread
  21. spell — letters
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. mug — a cup

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