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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. mate — a partner
  4. deal — to handle
  5. fall — the season
  6. lean — to bend
  7. fall — to drop
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. fall — to drop
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. wake — a trail
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. lean — thin
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. prune — to trim
  19. cold — not warm
  20. cold — an illness
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. mate — to breed
  23. prune — to trim
  24. deal — a big deal

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