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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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Word bank
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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. mate — a partner
  3. mate — a friend
  4. rest — what's left
  5. game — a match
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. rest — a break
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. mine — for digging
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. mate — to breed
  14. mug — a cup
  15. mug — a face
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. bass — the fish
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. rest — what's left
  21. game — wild animals
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. bass — low music

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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