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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. mate — a friend
  3. pop — to visit
  4. mark — a trace
  5. pop — music
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. pop — soda
  8. key — in music
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. key — for a lock
  11. object — to protest
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. object — an aim
  15. key — the most important part
  16. object — a thing
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. rush — hurry
  19. game — wild animals
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. game — a match
  23. mark — a grade
  24. mate — to breed

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