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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. mate — to breed
  3. cap — a lid
  4. spring — the season
  5. craft — boats
  6. mate — a partner
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. spring — of water
  9. ground — a position
  10. spring — a coil
  11. ground — the earth
  12. cap — of ice
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. cap — a hat
  17. ball — a dance
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. ball — a great time
  22. ground — crushed
  23. craft — a skill
  24. straw — a straw man

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