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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 kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. fall — the season
  4. bear — the animal
  5. scale — size or range
  6. rock — music
  7. mate — to breed
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. wound — an injury
  10. spell — magic
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. spell — a short time
  13. mate — a partner
  14. rash — hasty
  15. spell — letters
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. rash — a series
  18. scale — in music
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. fall — to drop
  21. wound — an injury
  22. rock — a stone
  23. fall — to drop
  24. bear — the animal

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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