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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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. drill — the tool
  3. court — for sport
  4. mate — a partner
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. drill — army training
  7. net — after costs
  8. ball — a great time
  9. ball — a dance
  10. court — of law
  11. mate — a friend
  12. drill — a practice
  13. net — in sport
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. band — a ring
  16. track — a path
  17. mate — to breed
  18. net — for catching
  19. court — of a king
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. track — to keep track
  22. band — a music group
  23. chair — a leader
  24. track — a song

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