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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. hand — in cards
  3. mark — a trace
  4. mark — a grade
  5. prune — to trim
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. court — of law
  8. can — to be able to
  9. court — of a king
  10. can — a tin
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. hand — help
  13. mate — a partner
  14. mate — to breed
  15. prune — to trim
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. can — a tin
  18. court — for sport

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