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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. mate — a partner
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. bulb — for light
  5. can — a tin
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. can — a tin
  8. tear — from crying
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. tear — to rip
  12. face — to confront
  13. mug — a cup
  14. mug — to rob
  15. mug — a face
  16. can — to be able to
  17. bulb — for light
  18. tear — from crying
  19. mate — to breed
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. face — to point toward
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. face — part of the head

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