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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. mate — a partner
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. mark — a grade
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. field — a subject
  8. staff — employees
  9. can — to be able to
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. mark — a trace
  12. can — a tin
  13. sharp — clever
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. mate — to breed
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. can — a tin
  18. staff — employees
  19. field — farmland
  20. staff — a stick
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. field — for sport
  23. game — wild animals
  24. mate — a friend

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