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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. mate — to breed
  3. wind — moving air
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. swing — to play on
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. pit — a hole
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. pit — in a race
  12. swing — in golf
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. present — the time now
  16. present — a gift
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. mate — a friend
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. wind — moving air
  21. craft — boats
  22. present — there
  23. swing — music
  24. craft — a skill

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