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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. mate — a friend
  3. date — the fruit
  4. rest — what's left
  5. perch — the fish
  6. pit — a hole
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. pit — in a race
  9. wind — moving air
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. track — to keep track
  12. mug — a face
  13. track — a path
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. wind — moving air
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. mug — a cup
  20. mate — to breed
  21. rest — what's left
  22. rest — a break
  23. mug — to rob
  24. track — a song

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