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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. False peace will not ________________.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. last — to go on
  3. swing — music
  4. saw — the tool
  5. cold — not warm
  6. rock — a stone
  7. pitch — completely
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. kid — to tease
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. last — finally
  13. rock — music
  14. kid — child
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. swing — in golf
  17. cold — an illness
  18. mate — to breed
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. saw — the tool
  21. last — final
  22. mate — a partner
  23. swing — to play on
  24. rock — to move gently

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