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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. mate — a friend
  3. kid — child
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. season — in sport
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. ball — a dance
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. ball — a great time
  10. board — a committee
  11. roll — a cake
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. rock — music
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. board — to get on
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. roll — a list
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. kid — to tease
  21. rock — a stone
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. mate — to breed
  24. mate — a partner

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