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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. rest — what's left
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. capital — money
  5. rest — a break
  6. net — for catching
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. mate — to breed
  9. ball — a dance
  10. mate — a friend
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. ground — a position
  13. rest — what's left
  14. net — in sport
  15. ground — the earth
  16. ball — a great time
  17. capital — a city
  18. stand — to bear
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. net — after costs
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. ground — crushed
  24. trunk — of a tree

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