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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. mate — a friend
  3. mate — to breed
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. pit — in a race
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. shower — rain
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. pop — to visit
  12. pit — a hole
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. branch — a division
  17. vault — a safe
  18. shower — to wash
  19. pop — soda
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. pop — music
  24. lash — an eyelash

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