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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. last — to go on
  4. cell — in biology
  5. cell — a phone
  6. last — final
  7. scale — size or range
  8. mate — a partner
  9. rush — hurry
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. ground — crushed
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. scale — in music
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. ground — a position
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. mate — a friend
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. last — finally
  23. ground — the earth
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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