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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. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. bound — obliged
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. rush — hurry
  7. wind — moving air
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. mate — to breed
  11. bound — tied together
  12. pitch — completely
  13. bound — certain
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. cue — a hint
  17. cue — a signal
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. wind — moving air
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. branch — a division
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. mate — a partner
  24. cue — for pool

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