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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 120 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 King held a masked ________________.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. mate — a partner
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. court — for sport
  5. bat — the animal
  6. court — of law
  7. bear — the animal
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. mate — a friend
  13. season — in sport
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. season — of the year
  16. bear — the animal
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. ball — a great time
  19. court — of a king
  20. mate — to breed
  21. chip — for betting
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. fork — in a road
  24. chip — to eat

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