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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. spring — of water
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. mate — to breed
  5. perch — the fish
  6. charge — a price
  7. spring — a coil
  8. charge — in control
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. bass — the fish
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. pound — a weight
  14. mark — a trace
  15. mate — a friend
  16. band — a music group
  17. mark — a grade
  18. bass — low music
  19. spring — the season
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. band — a ring
  22. charge — electricity
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. band — a rubber band

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