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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. present — the time now
  3. mate — a friend
  4. mug — to rob
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. mate — to breed
  7. saw — the tool
  8. saw — the tool
  9. game — a match
  10. mug — a cup
  11. tear — from crying
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. mug — a face
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. mate — a partner
  18. present — a gift
  19. game — wild animals
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. lie — to recline
  23. tear — to rip
  24. tear — from crying

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