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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. last — to go on
  3. mine — for digging
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. suit — clothes
  6. suit — to fit
  7. mate — a partner
  8. last — final
  9. sharp — clever
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. last — finally
  13. pound — a weight
  14. spring — of water
  15. spring — the season
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. mate — a friend
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. suit — in cards
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. spring — a coil
  24. pound — to hit hard

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