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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. mate — a friend
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. object — to protest
  5. mate — a partner
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. mine — for digging
  8. club — for dancing
  9. current — of water
  10. current — happening now
  11. deal — to handle
  12. kid — to tease
  13. object — an aim
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. club — for golf
  16. mate — to breed
  17. kid — child
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. pitch — completely
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. club — a group
  23. object — a thing
  24. current — electric

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