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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. object — to protest
  3. fine — high quality
  4. fine — all right
  5. file — a document
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. mate — to breed
  8. object — an aim
  9. file — a tool
  10. bear — the animal
  11. cell — in biology
  12. game — wild animals
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. bear — the animal
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. mate — a partner
  18. swing — to play on
  19. cell — a phone
  20. swing — music
  21. file — a line of people
  22. object — a thing
  23. swing — in golf
  24. game — a match

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