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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. firm — a company
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. drill — a practice
  7. snap — to click
  8. roll — a list
  9. drill — the tool
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. drill — army training
  13. pit — a hole
  14. firm — steady
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. firm — decided
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. mate — to breed
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. shower — rain
  21. shower — to wash
  22. pit — in a race
  23. mate — a partner
  24. roll — a cake

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