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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. roll — a cake
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. court — of law
  7. mark — a trace
  8. mate — a partner
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. court — of a king
  11. firm — a company
  12. net — for catching
  13. sharp — clever
  14. net — in sport
  15. court — for sport
  16. face — part of the head
  17. mate — a friend
  18. roll — a list
  19. face — to point toward
  20. firm — steady
  21. mark — a grade
  22. firm — decided
  23. face — to confront
  24. net — after costs

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