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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. David sat on the ________________.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. swing — to play on
  3. mate — to breed
  4. wind — moving air
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. file — a tool
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. suit — clothes
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. swing — music
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. file — a line of people
  15. wind — moving air
  16. suit — to fit
  17. mate — a friend
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. swing — in golf
  21. file — a document
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. suit — in cards
  24. temple — a place of worship

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