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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 124 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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. mate — a friend
  3. ground — the earth
  4. rush — hurry
  5. pitch — completely
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. ground — crushed
  8. mate — to breed
  9. press — to push
  10. last — final
  11. press — newspapers
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. bark — to shout
  15. ground — a position
  16. bear — the animal
  17. press — a publisher
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. last — finally
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. last — to go on
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. bear — the animal

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