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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. track — a path
  3. mate — to breed
  4. mate — a partner
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. chair — a leader
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. file — a document
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. track — a song
  14. season — of the year
  15. file — a tool
  16. file — a line of people
  17. season — in sport
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. track — to keep track
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. pound — a weight
  22. wake — a trail
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. leaves — of a tree

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