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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. mate — a friend
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. mate — a partner
  5. lean — to bend
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. spell — a short time
  8. lean — thin
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. mate — to breed
  11. track — a path
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. land — a country
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. track — a song
  16. ball — a dance
  17. land — ground
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. spell — magic
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. land — to come down
  22. track — to keep track
  23. spell — letters
  24. rush — hurry

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