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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. mate — to breed
  4. file — a document
  5. file — a tool
  6. march — the month
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. mug — a face
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. mug — a cup
  12. mug — to rob
  13. wind — moving air
  14. prune — to trim
  15. mate — a partner
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. wind — moving air
  18. march — the month
  19. march — music
  20. file — a line of people
  21. prune — to trim
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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