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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. mate — a friend
  3. ball — a great time
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. scale — size or range
  7. court — for sport
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. scale — in music
  10. saw — the tool
  11. mate — to breed
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. court — of law
  14. saw — the tool
  15. court — of a king
  16. ball — a dance
  17. game — wild animals
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. lean — thin
  20. mate — a partner
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. lean — to bend
  23. game — a match
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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