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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. mate — a partner
  3. present — the time now
  4. pop — soda
  5. pop — music
  6. rule — a law
  7. bass — low music
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. rule — government
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. pop — to visit
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. present — a gift
  14. key — for a lock
  15. mate — to breed
  16. chair — a leader
  17. bark — to shout
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. present — there
  20. bass — the fish
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. key — in music
  23. key — the most important part
  24. chair — to sit on

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