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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. suit — in cards
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. field — for sport
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. field — a subject
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. field — farmland
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. mate — a friend
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. drill — the tool
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. drill — army training
  18. mate — to breed
  19. suit — clothes
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. suit — to fit
  22. drill — a practice
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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