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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. pop — soda
  5. mate — a partner
  6. fall — to drop
  7. mate — a friend
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. pass — a permit
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. pop — music
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. fall — to drop
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. rash — a series
  17. rash — hasty
  18. cell — in biology
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. pop — to visit
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. cell — a phone
  23. rush — hurry
  24. fall — the season

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