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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. mate — a partner
  3. staff — employees
  4. can — a tin
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. can — to be able to
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. staff — a stick
  9. prune — to trim
  10. key — in music
  11. key — for a lock
  12. staff — employees
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. roll — a cake
  15. bore — to drill
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. mate — to breed
  18. can — a tin
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. prune — to trim
  21. roll — a list
  22. key — the most important part
  23. bore — to tire
  24. pitcher — a jug

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