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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. can — a tin
  3. kick — in football
  4. wound — an injury
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. staff — employees
  7. march — the month
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. rush — hurry
  12. march — music
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. staff — employees
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. wound — an injury
  17. march — the month
  18. mate — a friend
  19. stem — to come from
  20. staff — a stick
  21. can — to be able to
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. mate — to breed
  24. can — a tin

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