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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 120 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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. season — of the year
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. saw — the tool
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. bark — to shout
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. wind — moving air
  10. rock — a stone
  11. wind — moving air
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. mate — a friend
  14. saw — the tool
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. season — in sport
  18. rock — music
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. mate — to breed

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