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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. last — final
  4. present — the time now
  5. mug — a face
  6. bound — obliged
  7. degree — an amount
  8. present — a gift
  9. mate — to breed
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. present — there
  12. degree — from a university
  13. last — finally
  14. ground — the earth
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. ground — a position
  17. bound — certain
  18. mug — to rob
  19. bound — tied together
  20. last — to go on
  21. ground — crushed
  22. mug — a cup
  23. degree — temperature
  24. mate — a friend

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