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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. mate — to breed
  3. season — of the year
  4. staff — employees
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. season — in sport
  8. mate — a friend
  9. rock — a stone
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. land — to come down
  12. land — ground
  13. rock — music
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. bear — the animal
  16. land — a country
  17. staff — a stick
  18. shower — to wash
  19. bear — the animal
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. sharp — clever
  22. shower — rain
  23. staff — employees
  24. mate — a partner

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