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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. firm — decided
  3. mate — to breed
  4. firm — steady
  5. spell — a short time
  6. toast — bread
  7. scale — size or range
  8. band — a ring
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. band — a music group
  12. spell — magic
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. spell — letters
  15. wound — an injury
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. sharp — clever
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. firm — a company
  20. wound — an injury
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. scale — in music
  24. mate — a friend

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