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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. mate — a partner
  6. mate — to breed
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. cold — an illness
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. rule — a law
  11. present — the time now
  12. scale — size or range
  13. present — a gift
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. scale — in music
  16. mate — a friend
  17. cold — not warm
  18. rule — government
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. present — there
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. rash — a series
  23. rash — hasty
  24. scale — for weighing

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