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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 116 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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. file — a line of people
  3. rash — hasty
  4. can — a tin
  5. pop — to visit
  6. mate — a partner
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. can — to be able to
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. rash — a series
  12. pop — music
  13. file — a document
  14. board — to get on
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. mate — to breed
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. file — a tool
  20. deal — to handle
  21. pop — soda
  22. can — a tin
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. board — a committee

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