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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. mate — to breed
  4. craft — boats
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. content — happy
  8. mate — a partner
  9. cell — a phone
  10. object — a thing
  11. object — to protest
  12. net — for catching
  13. wake — a trail
  14. object — an aim
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. deal — to handle
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. cell — in biology
  19. craft — a skill
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. net — in sport
  22. content — the amount
  23. net — after costs
  24. cell — in a prison

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