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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. ground — crushed
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. cue — for pool
  5. cue — a hint
  6. game — a match
  7. tube — the underground
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. tube — a container
  10. mate — a partner
  11. ground — a position
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. march — music
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. game — wild animals
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. mate — a friend
  20. cue — a signal
  21. march — the month
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. march — the month
  24. ground — the earth

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