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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. mate — a friend
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. mine — for digging
  9. ball — a great time
  10. craft — a skill
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. mate — a partner
  13. present — there
  14. present — a gift
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. craft — boats
  18. present — the time now
  19. bulb — for light
  20. content — happy
  21. ball — a dance
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. content — the amount
  24. bulb — for light

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