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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. shower — to wash
  3. last — to go on
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. shower — rain
  6. mate — to breed
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. game — wild animals
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. last — final
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. game — a match
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. mate — a partner
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. last — finally
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. pitch — completely

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