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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. present — the time now
  4. march — music
  5. saw — the tool
  6. present — a gift
  7. track — a path
  8. mate — to breed
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. mate — a friend
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. track — to keep track
  15. march — the month
  16. track — a song
  17. march — the month
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. present — there
  21. stem — to come from
  22. saw — the tool
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. racket — a loud noise

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