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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. mate — to breed
  3. mate — a friend
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. cue — a signal
  6. bound — certain
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. last — to go on
  9. cue — for pool
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. bound — obliged
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. kid — to tease
  15. last — finally
  16. last — final
  17. cue — a hint
  18. kid — child
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. band — a music group
  21. bound — tied together
  22. band — a ring
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. sharp — clever

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