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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. mate — to breed
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. bat — the animal
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. stock — shares
  8. court — of law
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. court — of a king
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. mate — a friend
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. stock — goods
  17. mate — a partner
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. season — of the year
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. season — in 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