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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 seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. rash — hasty
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. pop — soda
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. rash — a series
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. row — to paddle
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. pop — music
  13. fine — high quality
  14. mate — a partner
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. row — a line
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. kick — in football
  19. pop — to visit
  20. degree — temperature
  21. mate — to breed
  22. degree — an amount
  23. fine — all right
  24. degree — from a university

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