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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. ground — a position
  4. land — ground
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. mate — to breed
  8. mate — a partner
  9. ground — the earth
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. content — the amount
  13. land — a country
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. ground — crushed
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. branch — a division
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. land — to come down
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. content — happy

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