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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. present — there
  3. game — a match
  4. present — the time now
  5. game — wild animals
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. snap — to click
  10. last — to go on
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. last — finally
  13. mate — to breed
  14. fine — high quality
  15. fine — all right
  16. mate — a partner
  17. cold — not warm
  18. last — final
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. cold — an illness
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. present — a gift
  24. mouse — for a computer

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