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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. mate — a partner
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. cell — a phone
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. saw — the tool
  7. cell — in biology
  8. prune — to trim
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. saw — the tool
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. mate — a friend
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. prune — to trim
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. fan — to cool the air

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