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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. court — of law
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. cue — for pool
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. court — for sport
  7. mate — a partner
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. mate — a friend
  10. net — after costs
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. net — for catching
  14. cue — a signal
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. court — of a king
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. net — in sport
  19. mate — to breed
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. wake — a trail
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. cue — a hint

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