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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. mate — a partner
  3. shower — rain
  4. kick — in football
  5. bat — the animal
  6. court — of law
  7. last — to go on
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. court — for sport
  10. last — final
  11. shower — to wash
  12. suit — clothes
  13. last — finally
  14. rash — hasty
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. mate — to breed
  17. rash — a series
  18. suit — to fit
  19. court — of a king
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. mate — a friend
  23. suit — in cards
  24. rash — on the skin

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