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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of 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 friend
  3. cue — a hint
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. spell — letters
  6. mate — a partner
  7. cue — a signal
  8. current — electric
  9. prune — to trim
  10. wind — moving air
  11. spell — magic
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. current — happening now
  18. cue — for pool
  19. wind — moving air
  20. current — of water
  21. prune — to trim
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. spell — a short time
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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