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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. ball — a great time
  3. mate — a partner
  4. wind — moving air
  5. rock — a stone
  6. pitch — completely
  7. pit — a hole
  8. wind — moving air
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. mate — to breed
  11. wake — a trail
  12. pit — in a race
  13. fine — high quality
  14. rock — music
  15. ball — a dance
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. mate — a friend
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. fine — all right
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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