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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. last — finally
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. mate — to breed
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. current — electric
  10. last — to go on
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. pit — a hole
  13. current — happening now
  14. current — of water
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. fork — in a road
  17. deal — to handle
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. pit — in a race
  20. mate — a friend
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. saw — the tool
  23. last — final
  24. saw — the tool

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