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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. staff — employees
  4. mate — to breed
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. mate — a partner
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. net — in sport
  9. net — after costs
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. net — for catching
  12. game — a match
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. rock — a stone
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. bark — to shout
  17. game — wild animals
  18. rock — music
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. staff — employees
  22. staff — a stick
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. jam — a tight spot

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