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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. rush — hurry
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. firm — a company
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. mate — a partner
  10. mate — to breed
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. key — in music
  13. rule — government
  14. rule — a law
  15. key — for a lock
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. key — the most important part
  18. firm — decided
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. firm — steady
  21. wind — moving air
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. wind — moving air

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