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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. mate — to breed
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. mate — a partner
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. rash — a series
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. pit — a hole
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. game — wild animals
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. content — happy
  14. net — after costs
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. content — the amount
  17. pit — in a race
  18. net — in sport
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. rash — hasty
  22. net — for catching
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. mate — a friend

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