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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. pass — a permit
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. content — happy
  6. mark — a trace
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. mate — a partner
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. mate — to breed
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. wind — moving air
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. craft — a skill
  17. degree — temperature
  18. craft — boats
  19. content — the amount
  20. degree — from a university
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. degree — an amount
  23. wind — moving air
  24. mark — a grade

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