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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. shower — to wash
  3. fine — high quality
  4. mine — for digging
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. game — wild animals
  7. game — a match
  8. root — the cause
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. mate — to breed
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. root — of a word
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. root — of a plant
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. fine — all right
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. mate — a friend
  23. shower — rain
  24. mine — belonging to me

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