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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 had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. kid — child
  3. cue — a hint
  4. rush — hurry
  5. snap — to click
  6. object — a thing
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. cue — for pool
  9. mate — a friend
  10. kid — to tease
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. mate — a partner
  13. march — the month
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. cue — a signal
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. march — music
  21. march — the month
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. object — to protest
  24. object — an aim

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