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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. mate — a partner
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. mate — a friend
  5. season — of the year
  6. season — in sport
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. stock — shares
  17. stock — goods
  18. saw — the tool
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. saw — the tool
  21. mate — to breed
  22. rush — hurry
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. ruler — a monarch

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