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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. spring — of water
  3. tear — to rip
  4. mate — to breed
  5. rock — music
  6. tear — from crying
  7. mate — a partner
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. sharp — clever
  10. spring — a coil
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. rock — a stone
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. ball — a great time
  15. mate — a friend
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. tear — from crying
  19. ball — a dance
  20. mug — a cup
  21. spring — the season
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. mug — to rob
  24. ball — a round shape

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