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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. mate — to breed
  3. present — there
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. march — music
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. net — after costs
  8. key — the most important part
  9. march — the month
  10. bound — obliged
  11. march — the month
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. mate — a partner
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. net — for catching
  17. bound — certain
  18. net — in sport
  19. present — the time now
  20. key — for a lock
  21. mate — a friend
  22. key — in music
  23. bound — tied together
  24. wake — a trail

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