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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 120 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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. mate — a partner
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. track — a path
  6. file — a line of people
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. track — a song
  9. file — a document
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. mug — a cup
  12. mate — a friend
  13. mug — to rob
  14. chair — a leader
  15. file — a tool
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. track — to keep track
  19. prune — to trim
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. prune — to trim
  22. mug — a face
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. nail — for a hammer

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