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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. row — to paddle
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. row — a line
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. season — of the year
  9. net — after costs
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. pop — music
  12. suit — to fit
  13. net — in sport
  14. mate — to breed
  15. pop — soda
  16. season — in sport
  17. saw — the tool
  18. suit — clothes
  19. saw — the tool
  20. mate — a partner
  21. suit — in cards
  22. net — for catching
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. pop — to visit

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