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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 120 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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. mug — to rob
  3. deal — to handle
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. mug — a cup
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. file — a tool
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. mate — a friend
  10. swing — music
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. swing — to play on
  13. saw — the tool
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. stem — to come from
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. mug — a face
  20. mate — a partner
  21. swing — in golf
  22. file — a line of people
  23. saw — the tool
  24. file — a document

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