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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 116 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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. mate — a partner
  4. key — for a lock
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. track — a song
  7. mate — a friend
  8. key — in music
  9. track — to keep track
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. key — the most important part
  12. object — a thing
  13. mate — to breed
  14. mine — for digging
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. object — to protest
  17. present — a gift
  18. present — there
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. snap — to click
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. track — a path
  23. object — an aim
  24. hide — animal skin

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