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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. mate — to breed
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. last — to go on
  5. field — a subject
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. roll — a cake
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. mate — a friend
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. last — finally
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. lie — to recline
  16. pass — a permit
  17. rush — hurry
  18. field — farmland
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. mate — a partner
  21. field — for sport
  22. last — final
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. roll — a list

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