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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. mate — a partner
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. mate — a friend
  5. mate — to breed
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. fall — the season
  13. rush — hurry
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. fall — to drop
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. chair — a leader
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. pound — a weight
  20. fall — to drop
  21. fine — high quality
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. fine — all right
  24. rush — a thrill

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