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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. perch — the fish
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. cue — a hint
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. sharp — clever
  8. root — of a plant
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. cue — for pool
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. tear — from crying
  13. tear — to rip
  14. cue — a signal
  15. tear — from crying
  16. rock — a stone
  17. mate — to breed
  18. pitch — completely
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. root — the cause
  21. mate — a friend
  22. root — of a word
  23. rock — music
  24. sharp — with an edge

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