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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. ground — crushed
  3. mate — a partner
  4. scale — in music
  5. cap — a lid
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. bore — to tire
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. cap — of ice
  11. ground — a position
  12. mate — to breed
  13. date — the fruit
  14. ground — the earth
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. craft — boats
  18. bore — to drill
  19. craft — a skill
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. cap — a hat
  23. kick — in football
  24. scale — size or range

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