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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. mate — a partner
  4. scale — size or range
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. foot — a measure
  7. fine — all right
  8. shower — rain
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. cap — of ice
  11. shower — to wash
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. file — a document
  14. mate — to breed
  15. bound — tied together
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. scale — in music
  18. fine — high quality
  19. file — a line of people
  20. cap — a hat
  21. cap — a lid
  22. bound — certain
  23. file — a tool
  24. bound — obliged

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