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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. march — the month
  3. wound — an injury
  4. pit — in a race
  5. key — for a lock
  6. march — music
  7. mate — to breed
  8. pit — a hole
  9. net — in sport
  10. key — in music
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. march — the month
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. net — after costs
  15. dip — to sink
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. net — for catching
  18. key — the most important part
  19. wound — an injury
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. mate — a partner
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. dip — a sauce

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