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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. bat — the animal
  3. mate — to breed
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. present — the time now
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. mate — a friend
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. present — there
  10. court — for sport
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. court — of a king
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. court — of law
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. mate — a partner
  19. game — wild animals
  20. game — a match
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. present — a gift

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