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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. suit — in cards
  3. mate — to breed
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. drill — army training
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. suit — to fit
  12. mate — a friend
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. suit — clothes
  16. pitch — completely
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. perch — the fish
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. drill — the tool
  23. drill — a practice
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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