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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. mate — to breed
  3. roll — a list
  4. mate — a partner
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. object — a thing
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. snap — to click
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. mate — a friend
  12. object — to protest
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. mine — for digging
  15. content — happy
  16. content — the amount
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. season — in sport
  19. object — an aim
  20. season — of the year
  21. mark — a trace
  22. roll — a cake
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. mark — a grade

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