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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. band — a ring
  3. pass — a permit
  4. net — in sport
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. band — a music group
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. season — of the year
  9. season — in sport
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. net — for catching
  12. fall — to drop
  13. mate — a friend
  14. mate — to breed
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. fall — the season
  18. net — after costs
  19. mark — a grade
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. mark — a trace
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. fall — to drop
  24. fan — to cool the air

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