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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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. hand — help
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. mate — to breed
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. rest — what's left
  9. scale — size or range
  10. hand — in cards
  11. rest — a break
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. rest — what's left
  14. vault — a safe
  15. stem — to come from
  16. scale — in music
  17. mate — a partner
  18. season — of the year
  19. season — in sport
  20. sharp — clever
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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