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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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468
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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. present — there
  3. mate — to breed
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. present — the time now
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. wind — moving air
  11. wind — moving air
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. content — happy
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. content — the amount
  20. pit — a hole
  21. mate — a partner
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. pit — in a race
  24. present — a gift

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