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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 116 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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. bound — obliged
  5. season — in sport
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. bound — tied together
  8. kick — in football
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. kid — child
  11. bound — certain
  12. season — of the year
  13. mate — to breed
  14. mate — a partner
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. kid — to tease
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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