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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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. ball — a dance
  4. ball — a great time
  5. bark — to shout
  6. spell — a short time
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. tube — the underground
  10. chip — to eat
  11. scale — size or range
  12. rest — what's left
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. rest — what's left
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. rest — a break
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. tube — a container
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. spell — magic
  21. chip — for betting
  22. spell — letters
  23. scale — in music
  24. mate — a partner

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