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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 hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. mate — to breed
  4. hand — help
  5. object — an aim
  6. tear — from crying
  7. fall — to drop
  8. fall — the season
  9. wake — a trail
  10. track — a path
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. spring — the season
  13. tear — to rip
  14. spring — a coil
  15. tear — from crying
  16. hand — in cards
  17. object — to protest
  18. fall — to drop
  19. spring — of water
  20. object — a thing
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. track — a song
  23. mate — a partner
  24. track — to keep track

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