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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. lean — thin
  3. last — finally
  4. pop — to visit
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. ball — a dance
  7. rash — hasty
  8. mate — a friend
  9. mate — to breed
  10. last — final
  11. ball — a great time
  12. pop — soda
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. last — to go on
  15. rash — a series
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. lean — to bend
  19. pop — music
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. cue — a hint
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. cue — a signal
  24. cue — for pool

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