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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. mate — a partner
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. ball — a dance
  5. bat — the animal
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. ball — a great time
  11. mate — to breed
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. fine — all right
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. fine — high quality
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. stem — to come from
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. perch — the fish

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