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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. rest — what's left
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. cold — an illness
  5. pitch — completely
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. sharp — clever
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. rest — a break
  11. mate — a partner
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. mate — to breed
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. plane — a tool
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. rest — what's left
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. cold — not warm
  24. snap — to click

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