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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 don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. season — in sport
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. pit — in a race
  6. game — wild animals
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. net — for catching
  10. net — in sport
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. ball — a great time
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. pit — a hole
  15. net — after costs
  16. ball — a dance
  17. game — a match
  18. season — of the year

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