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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  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 partner
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. fine — all right
  4. pitch — completely
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. staff — employees
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. mate — a friend
  9. plane — a tool
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. club — for golf
  14. club — for dancing
  15. club — a group
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. fine — high quality
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. staff — a stick
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. mine — for digging
  23. staff — employees
  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