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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. fork — in a road
  3. mug — to rob
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. mate — a friend
  7. mate — to breed
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. net — for catching
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. net — after costs
  12. hand — in cards
  13. wake — a trail
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. mug — a cup
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. field — a subject
  19. hand — help
  20. field — farmland
  21. pass — a permit
  22. field — for sport
  23. mate — a partner
  24. net — in sport

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