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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 120 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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. spring — a coil
  3. last — final
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. spring — the season
  7. last — finally
  8. plane — a tool
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. dip — to sink
  13. mate — to breed
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. mate — a friend
  17. kick — in football
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. last — to go on
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. spring — of water
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. dip — to dunk

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