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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. mate — a friend
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. pound — a weight
  6. saw — the tool
  7. rule — a law
  8. wind — moving air
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. mate — a partner
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. rest — what's left
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. rest — what's left
  17. rule — government
  18. toast — bread
  19. rest — a break
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. wind — moving air
  24. saw — the tool

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