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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. game — a match
  3. cold — an illness
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. fall — to drop
  6. key — the most important part
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. game — wild animals
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. key — in music
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. cold — not warm
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. fall — the season
  16. key — for a lock
  17. mate — a friend
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. fall — to drop
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. mate — a partner

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