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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. bore — to tire
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. season — of the year
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. court — of a king
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. shower — rain
  12. lie — to recline
  13. court — of law
  14. mug — a cup
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. court — for sport
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. bore — to drill
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. shower — to wash
  21. season — in sport
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. mug — a face
  24. bowl — a dish

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