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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. mug — a face
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. suit — in cards
  6. mine — for digging
  7. pitch — completely
  8. mate — a friend
  9. drill — the tool
  10. band — a ring
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. suit — clothes
  14. band — a music group
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. mug — to rob
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. mate — a partner
  19. drill — army training
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. suit — to fit
  22. bat — the animal
  23. drill — a practice
  24. mug — a cup

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