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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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. tube — a container
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. mate — a friend
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. mate — a partner
  19. hand — in cards
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. tube — the underground
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. hand — help

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