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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 124 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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. current — of water
  4. mate — a partner
  5. current — happening now
  6. mug — to rob
  7. mug — a cup
  8. bat — the animal
  9. march — the month
  10. spell — letters
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. march — the month
  13. march — music
  14. mug — a face
  15. spell — a short time
  16. saw — the tool
  17. current — electric
  18. spell — magic
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. saw — the tool
  23. mate — a friend
  24. mate — to breed

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