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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. court — of a king
  4. ground — crushed
  5. present — there
  6. net — for catching
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. ground — a position
  9. pit — a hole
  10. mate — a partner
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. shower — to wash
  13. mate — to breed
  14. net — in sport
  15. court — for sport
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. pit — in a race
  18. net — after costs
  19. present — the time now
  20. ground — the earth
  21. shower — rain
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. present — a gift
  24. court — of law

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