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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 ball is in your ________________.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. court — for sport
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. mate — a partner
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. mate — to breed
  9. prune — to trim
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. court — of a king
  13. firm — a company
  14. march — music
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. march — the month
  17. march — the month
  18. firm — steady
  19. prune — to trim
  20. firm — decided
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. deal — to handle
  23. court — of law
  24. fan — to cool the air

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