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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. roll — a cake
  3. mate — a friend
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. sharp — clever
  6. mate — to breed
  7. scale — in music
  8. bank — for money
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. scale — size or range
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. ground — the earth
  15. ground — crushed
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. bank — of a river
  18. hand — in cards
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. roll — a list
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. hand — help
  23. ground — a position
  24. bank — for money

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