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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 124 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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. object — to protest
  3. prune — to trim
  4. bound — obliged
  5. can — a tin
  6. net — in sport
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. bound — tied together
  11. prune — to trim
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. mate — a partner
  15. object — a thing
  16. object — an aim
  17. mate — to breed
  18. can — to be able to
  19. net — after costs
  20. net — for catching
  21. bound — certain
  22. can — a tin
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. arm — a part of something

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