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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. mark — a grade
  3. game — wild animals
  4. mate — a partner
  5. pop — to visit
  6. game — a match
  7. rock — music
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. scale — size or range
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. scale — in music
  13. pop — music
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. mate — to breed
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. mark — a trace
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. perch — the fish
  23. pop — soda
  24. rock — a stone

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