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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. wind — moving air
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. hand — in cards
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. mate — to breed
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. sharp — clever
  14. hand — help
  15. charge — in control
  16. tube — a container
  17. tube — the underground
  18. mate — a friend
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. charge — electricity
  22. wind — moving air
  23. charge — a price
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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