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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. march — the month
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. mate — a partner
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. spring — a coil
  8. kick — in football
  9. march — the month
  10. march — music
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. spring — the season
  13. wake — a trail
  14. root — the cause
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. root — of a word
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. spring — of water
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. mate — a friend
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. root — of a plant
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. kick — with a leg

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