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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. mate — a friend
  4. rush — hurry
  5. bat — the animal
  6. mate — to breed
  7. root — of a word
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. bound — tied together
  11. tube — the underground
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. bound — certain
  14. root — the cause
  15. tube — a container
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. snap — to click
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. bound — obliged
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. root — of a plant

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