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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. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. cue — for pool
  3. wind — moving air
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. cue — a hint
  6. net — after costs
  7. net — for catching
  8. cue — a signal
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. fine — all right
  11. saw — the tool
  12. pit — in a race
  13. wind — moving air
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. hand — help
  16. pit — a hole
  17. saw — the tool
  18. mate — to breed
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. mate — a partner
  21. hand — in cards
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. fine — high quality
  24. net — in sport

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