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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. mate — to breed
  3. mug — a cup
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. swing — in golf
  6. squash — to crush
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. land — to come down
  9. land — ground
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. bore — to tire
  12. season — of the year
  13. mug — to rob
  14. season — in sport
  15. swing — music
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. deal — to handle
  18. swing — to play on
  19. squash — the sport
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. mug — a face
  22. land — a country
  23. mate — a friend
  24. bore — to drill

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