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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 120 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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. fine — high quality
  3. net — for catching
  4. object — an aim
  5. fine — all right
  6. mate — a partner
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. bat — the animal
  10. mate — to breed
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. cell — a phone
  13. net — in sport
  14. object — a thing
  15. spell — a short time
  16. net — after costs
  17. spell — magic
  18. object — to protest
  19. season — in sport
  20. cell — in biology
  21. spell — letters
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. season — of the year

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