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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. spell — magic
  4. object — to protest
  5. last — finally
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. prune — to trim
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. last — to go on
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. mate — to breed
  14. wake — a trail
  15. spell — a short time
  16. spell — letters
  17. object — a thing
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. prune — to trim
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. object — an aim
  22. mate — a partner
  23. last — final
  24. hide — to keep secret

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