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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. mate — a partner
  3. toast — bread
  4. spring — the season
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. wound — an injury
  7. spring — a coil
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. net — after costs
  11. mate — a friend
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. net — for catching
  15. mug — to rob
  16. net — in sport
  17. wound — an injury
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. mug — a cup
  20. row — a line
  21. mug — a face
  22. spring — of water
  23. row — to paddle
  24. mouse — the animal

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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