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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. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. fall — to drop
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. march — the month
  6. mate — a friend
  7. game — a match
  8. swing — music
  9. fall — to drop
  10. staff — a stick
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. staff — employees
  13. fall — the season
  14. lean — thin
  15. swing — to play on
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. march — the month
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. march — music
  20. game — wild animals
  21. mate — to breed
  22. staff — employees
  23. lean — to bend
  24. swing — in golf

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