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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. mate — to breed
  3. press — a publisher
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. bear — the animal
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. press — newspapers
  9. cold — an illness
  10. vault — a safe
  11. wound — an injury
  12. mate — a partner
  13. bear — the animal
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. plane — a tool
  16. cold — not warm
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. press — to push
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. wound — an injury
  24. bear — to put up with

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