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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 120 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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. drill — a practice
  4. court — of law
  5. lie — to recline
  6. season — in sport
  7. court — for sport
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. pop — music
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. drill — army training
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. chip — to eat
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. pop — to visit
  16. pop — soda
  17. season — of the year
  18. drill — the tool
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. chip — for betting
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. court — of a king
  24. lie — an untruth

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