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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 120 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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. object — a thing
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. track — to keep track
  5. spell — a short time
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. mate — a partner
  8. spell — magic
  9. mine — for digging
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. object — to protest
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. track — a song
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. rash — a series
  17. object — an aim
  18. spell — letters
  19. mate — a friend
  20. track — a path
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. rash — hasty
  24. patient — a sick person

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