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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  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. mate — a friend
  2. last — finally
  3. last — to go on
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. stem — to come from
  6. mate — to breed
  7. present — the time now
  8. wake — a trail
  9. track — a song
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. mug — a cup
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. mate — a partner
  16. present — a gift
  17. track — a path
  18. mug — to rob
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. present — there
  21. last — final
  22. track — to keep track
  23. leaves — to go away
  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