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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. mate — a partner
  3. mate — a friend
  4. pass — a permit
  5. rock — a stone
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. cue — a signal
  8. cell — a phone
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. cue — a hint
  11. cell — in biology
  12. mate — to breed
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. march — the month
  15. cue — for pool
  16. chest — of your body
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. chest — a box
  21. march — the month
  22. chest — of your body
  23. march — music
  24. rock — music

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