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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. rash — a series
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. tube — the underground
  6. mate — to breed
  7. rash — hasty
  8. sharp — clever
  9. bear — the animal
  10. prune — to trim
  11. prune — to trim
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. bear — the animal
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. track — to keep track
  19. track — a song
  20. mate — a friend
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. tube — a container
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. track — a path

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