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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. last — final
  4. kid — child
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. last — to go on
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. mug — to rob
  9. squash — the sport
  10. mug — a cup
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. mate — a partner
  13. kid — to tease
  14. wax — to grow
  15. mug — a face
  16. last — finally
  17. sharp — clever
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. mate — to breed
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. squash — to crush

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