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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. mate — a friend
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. mark — a grade
  6. drill — army training
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. mate — to breed
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. drill — a practice
  11. pass — a permit
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. net — in sport
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. net — after costs
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. net — for catching
  20. drill — the tool
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. snap — to click
  24. mark — a trace

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