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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 116 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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. last — final
  3. track — a path
  4. mate — to breed
  5. cue — for pool
  6. cue — a signal
  7. net — in sport
  8. cap — of ice
  9. staff — employees
  10. track — to keep track
  11. cue — a hint
  12. bat — the animal
  13. staff — a stick
  14. mate — a partner
  15. net — after costs
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. cap — a lid
  18. staff — employees
  19. net — for catching
  20. track — a song
  21. last — to go on
  22. cap — a hat
  23. last — finally
  24. bat — in an idiom

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