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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. mate — to breed
  3. firm — decided
  4. wake — a trail
  5. cue — a hint
  6. land — to come down
  7. prune — to trim
  8. firm — steady
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. march — the month
  11. cue — a signal
  12. rush — hurry
  13. mate — a friend
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. land — ground
  16. march — the month
  17. march — music
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. land — a country
  20. firm — a company
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. cue — for pool
  24. prune — to trim

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