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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  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 friend
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. key — the most important part
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. cell — in biology
  7. pitch — completely
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. kick — in football
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. perch — the fish
  14. wind — moving air
  15. wind — moving air
  16. mate — a partner
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. cell — a phone
  21. key — in music
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. key — for a lock
  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