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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 120 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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. object — to protest
  4. wound — an injury
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. mate — to breed
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. wound — an injury
  11. game — wild animals
  12. mate — a partner
  13. game — a match
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. present — the time now
  16. pass — a permit
  17. object — a thing
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. mate — a friend
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. present — a gift
  22. object — an aim
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. present — there

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