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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. cap — of ice
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. mate — a partner
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. game — wild animals
  7. march — music
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. march — the month
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. mate — to breed
  14. perch — the fish
  15. game — a match
  16. march — the month
  17. cap — a hat
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. cap — a lid
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. kick — in football
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. pass — a permit
  24. cabinet — ministers

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