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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. ball — a great time
  3. rash — a series
  4. can — a tin
  5. mate — a friend
  6. race — a contest
  7. kid — child
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. kid — to tease
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. can — to be able to
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. can — a tin
  15. saw — the tool
  16. mate — to breed
  17. ball — a dance
  18. saw — the tool
  19. race — humankind
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. rash — hasty
  24. race — the arms race

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