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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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. tear — from crying
  3. mate — to breed
  4. bound — certain
  5. bound — tied together
  6. bound — obliged
  7. track — a song
  8. mug — a face
  9. bear — the animal
  10. tear — from crying
  11. bear — the animal
  12. mug — to rob
  13. saw — the tool
  14. tear — to rip
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. season — of the year
  17. saw — the tool
  18. mate — a friend
  19. track — a path
  20. season — in sport
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. mug — a cup
  23. track — to keep track
  24. season — to add flavour

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