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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. mate — to breed
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. present — a gift
  6. chest — of your body
  7. present — there
  8. drill — army training
  9. mate — a partner
  10. drill — a practice
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. last — final
  13. dip — to sink
  14. chest — a box
  15. last — finally
  16. chest — of your body
  17. pass — a permit
  18. drill — the tool
  19. last — to go on
  20. present — the time now
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. mate — a friend
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. pass — to succeed

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