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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. staff — employees
  3. mate — to breed
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. can — to be able to
  6. can — a tin
  7. pop — soda
  8. can — a tin
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. staff — employees
  11. drill — the tool
  12. shower — rain
  13. pop — to visit
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. staff — a stick
  17. pop — music
  18. mate — a partner
  19. shower — to wash
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. drill — army training
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. bat — the animal
  24. drill — a practice

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