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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 met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. mate — a friend
  3. roll — a list
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. roll — a cake
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. rock — music
  12. mine — for digging
  13. mate — to breed
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. bat — the animal
  16. current — happening now
  17. current — of water
  18. dip — to sink
  19. current — electric
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. pass — a permit
  22. rock — a stone
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. mate — a partner

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