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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. net — after costs
  4. scale — in music
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. mate — to breed
  7. fall — to drop
  8. net — for catching
  9. bound — certain
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. bound — obliged
  13. mate — a partner
  14. fall — to drop
  15. rock — a stone
  16. scale — size or range
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. rock — music
  19. fall — the season
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. bound — tied together
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. net — 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