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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. There's no middle ________________.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. ground — a position
  3. rest — what's left
  4. spell — a short time
  5. rest — a break
  6. rest — what's left
  7. can — a tin
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. ground — the earth
  10. ground — crushed
  11. track — to keep track
  12. spell — letters
  13. can — a tin
  14. spell — magic
  15. mate — to breed
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. craft — a skill
  18. fine — all right
  19. mate — a friend
  20. can — to be able to
  21. craft — boats
  22. fine — high quality
  23. track — a path
  24. track — a song

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