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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. cue — a hint
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. charge — electricity
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. last — finally
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. mate — a friend
  10. deal — to handle
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. charge — in control
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. cue — a signal
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. mate — a partner
  18. last — final
  19. cue — for pool
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. charge — a price
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. last — to go on

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