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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. present — the time now
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. firm — steady
  6. present — there
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. bass — the fish
  11. present — a gift
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. mate — a friend
  14. firm — decided
  15. mine — for digging
  16. bass — low music
  17. firm — a company
  18. tear — from crying
  19. tear — from crying
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. toast — bread
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. tear — to rip
  24. mate — to breed

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