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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. spell — a short time
  3. pop — to visit
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. mark — a trace
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. pop — soda
  8. spell — letters
  9. tear — from crying
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. mine — for digging
  13. mate — a partner
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. pound — a weight
  16. mate — to breed
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. tear — to rip
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. spell — magic
  21. pop — music
  22. tear — from crying
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. mark — a grade

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