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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. object — an aim
  3. object — to protest
  4. fine — high quality
  5. firm — a company
  6. cold — an illness
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. ball — a dance
  9. fine — all right
  10. wake — a trail
  11. stem — to come from
  12. cold — not warm
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. ball — a great time
  15. firm — steady
  16. firm — decided
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. object — a thing
  20. mate — to breed
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. mate — a friend
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. stem — of a plant

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