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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. scale — size or range
  3. net — for catching
  4. lie — to recline
  5. net — in sport
  6. net — after costs
  7. track — a path
  8. fall — the season
  9. last — finally
  10. last — to go on
  11. sharp — clever
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. track — a song
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. fall — to drop
  17. fall — to drop
  18. mate — to breed
  19. last — final
  20. mate — a friend
  21. scale — in music
  22. track — to keep track
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. lie — an untruth

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