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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 120 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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. rash — a series
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. prune — to trim
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. mate — a partner
  10. current — electric
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. current — happening now
  13. current — of water
  14. prune — to trim
  15. bass — low music
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. mate — a friend
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. wake — a trail
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. rash — hasty
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. bass — the fish

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