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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. staff — employees
  3. court — of law
  4. spell — magic
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. rest — what's left
  7. rest — what's left
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. court — of a king
  10. spell — a short time
  11. net — after costs
  12. spell — letters
  13. mate — a partner
  14. mate — to breed
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. net — for catching
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. staff — employees
  19. staff — a stick
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. rest — a break
  22. net — in sport
  23. court — for sport
  24. bowl — to roll

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