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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 116 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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. saw — the tool
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. rock — music
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. net — in sport
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. saw — the tool
  12. court — for sport
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. court — of a king
  15. net — for catching
  16. mate — to breed
  17. net — after costs
  18. rock — a stone
  19. court — of law
  20. mate — a friend
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. mate — a partner
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. mouse — the animal

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