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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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. last — final
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. march — the month
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. track — a song
  11. track — a path
  12. track — to keep track
  13. last — to go on
  14. mate — a partner
  15. object — a thing
  16. march — music
  17. fork — in a road
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. mate — a friend
  20. object — to protest
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. object — an aim
  23. march — the month
  24. last — finally

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