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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. mate — to breed
  4. mate — a friend
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. suit — to fit
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. row — to paddle
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. ground — the earth
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. ground — a position
  14. row — a line
  15. suit — clothes
  16. suit — in cards
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. ground — crushed
  21. snap — to click
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. leaves — to go away

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