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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. spell — letters
  4. mate — to breed
  5. toast — bread
  6. mate — a partner
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. present — the time now
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. spell — magic
  11. cell — in biology
  12. present — a gift
  13. cell — a phone
  14. rock — a stone
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. rock — music
  19. net — in sport
  20. net — after costs
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. spell — a short time
  23. net — for catching
  24. present — there

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