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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. wound — an injury
  3. toast — bread
  4. ground — the earth
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. key — the most important part
  7. key — for a lock
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. mate — a partner
  10. mate — a friend
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. ground — a position
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. wound — an injury
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. bat — the animal
  18. ground — crushed
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. key — in music
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. dip — to sink
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. bat — for baseball

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