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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 120 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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. mate — to breed
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. object — a thing
  5. pit — in a race
  6. net — in sport
  7. branch — a division
  8. net — for catching
  9. net — after costs
  10. pound — a weight
  11. pit — a hole
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. object — to protest
  17. mate — a partner
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. wake — a trail
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. object — an aim

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