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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. roll — a cake
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. cue — a signal
  6. bass — the fish
  7. net — in sport
  8. cue — a hint
  9. cue — for pool
  10. fine — high quality
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. mate — a partner
  13. net — after costs
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. bass — low music
  16. mate — a friend
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. net — for catching
  20. roll — a list
  21. season — of the year
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. fine — all right
  24. season — in sport

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