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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. mate — a partner
  6. deal — to handle
  7. mate — to breed
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. pitch — completely
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. file — a tool
  13. tube — the underground
  14. pound — a weight
  15. rash — a series
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. rash — hasty
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. file — a line of people
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. tube — a container
  23. file — a document
  24. deal — a big deal

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