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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 120 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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. wake — a trail
  4. mate — to breed
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. row — to paddle
  7. last — final
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. last — finally
  10. bore — to drill
  11. bore — to tire
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. pitch — completely
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. mate — a friend
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. last — to go on
  19. deal — to handle
  20. bulb — for light
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. row — a line
  23. bulb — for light
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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