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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. fork — in a road
  11. key — in music
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. mate — a partner
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. mate — to breed
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. key — for a lock
  21. key — the most important part
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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