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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. mate — a friend
  3. court — for sport
  4. spring — the season
  5. spring — of water
  6. net — for catching
  7. net — in sport
  8. court — of a king
  9. march — the month
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. mate — a partner
  14. march — music
  15. spring — a coil
  16. mug — to rob
  17. net — after costs
  18. mate — to breed
  19. court — of law
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. mug — a cup
  22. mug — a face
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. cabinet — ministers

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