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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. object — to protest
  3. net — for catching
  4. present — the time now
  5. present — there
  6. net — after costs
  7. mate — a partner
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. key — in music
  10. key — the most important part
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. object — an aim
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. mate — to breed
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. net — in sport
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. present — a gift
  21. snap — to click
  22. object — a thing
  23. key — for a lock
  24. bat — the animal

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