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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. That must've been a ________________.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. prune — to trim
  4. rush — hurry
  5. chest — of your body
  6. bound — certain
  7. key — in music
  8. court — of a king
  9. mate — to breed
  10. bound — tied together
  11. court — for sport
  12. can — a tin
  13. key — for a lock
  14. can — to be able to
  15. chest — of your body
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. bound — obliged
  18. prune — to trim
  19. chest — a box
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. can — a tin
  22. court — of law
  23. key — the most important part
  24. mate — a partner

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