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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. mate — a friend
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. mate — a partner
  7. rush — hurry
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. net — after costs
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. rock — music
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. net — for catching
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. net — in sport
  17. scale — in music
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. cell — a phone
  20. scale — size or range
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. rock — a stone
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. cell — in biology

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