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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: rush · pitcher · sharp · mate · hide · scale · wake · kid

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  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. mate — a friend
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. mate — a partner
  4. sharp — clever
  5. kid — to tease
  6. scale — size or range
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. wake — a trail
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. scale — in music
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. mate — to breed
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. kid — child
  23. rush — hurry
  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