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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. mate — a friend
  3. mug — a cup
  4. tube — a container
  5. last — final
  6. club — for golf
  7. mug — to rob
  8. club — for dancing
  9. track — a path
  10. last — finally
  11. tube — the underground
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. sharp — clever
  14. cell — in biology
  15. track — to keep track
  16. club — a group
  17. cell — a phone
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. last — to go on
  20. mate — to breed
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. mate — a partner
  23. track — a song
  24. mug — a face

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