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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  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 friend
  2. pit — a hole
  3. mate — a partner
  4. land — ground
  5. tear — to rip
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. cue — a signal
  8. vault — a safe
  9. land — to come down
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. tear — from crying
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. tear — from crying
  15. pit — in a race
  16. cue — for pool
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. spring — the season
  19. cue — a hint
  20. spring — a coil
  21. plane — a tool
  22. spring — of water
  23. land — a country
  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