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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. march — the month
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. row — a line
  5. lie — to recline
  6. row — to paddle
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. staff — employees
  9. mate — a friend
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. track — a path
  13. track — to keep track
  14. mate — to breed
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. staff — a stick
  18. staff — employees
  19. march — the month
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. march — music
  23. track — a song
  24. wave — of the sea

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