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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 120 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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. tube — the underground
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. tube — a container
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. land — ground
  10. land — to come down
  11. mate — a friend
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. mate — to breed
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. land — a country
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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