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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. mate — to breed
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. track — to keep track
  5. present — there
  6. content — the amount
  7. track — a path
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. root — of a word
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. content — happy
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. root — the cause
  14. track — a song
  15. pit — in a race
  16. mate — a partner
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. present — the time now
  19. root — of a plant
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. bat — the animal
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. present — a gift
  24. pit — a hole

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