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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 120 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. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. suit — clothes
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. mate — to breed
  5. suit — in cards
  6. chest — of your body
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. suit — to fit
  9. rash — hasty
  10. chest — a box
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. rash — a series
  13. content — the amount
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. chest — of your body
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. mate — a partner
  19. shower — rain
  20. rule — government
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. rule — a law
  23. content — happy
  24. shower — to wash

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