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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. present — the time now
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. kid — child
  5. board — a committee
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. board — to get on
  8. present — there
  9. mate — a partner
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. rock — a stone
  12. kid — to tease
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. key — in music
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. rock — music
  17. file — a tool
  18. key — the most important part
  19. key — for a lock
  20. present — a gift
  21. perch — the fish
  22. file — a document
  23. mate — to breed
  24. file — a line of people

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