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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 116 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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. present — a gift
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. track — to keep track
  8. ground — the earth
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. court — of a king
  11. season — of the year
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. present — the time now
  14. court — for sport
  15. ground — crushed
  16. season — in sport
  17. track — a path
  18. court — of law
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. present — there
  21. track — a song
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. ground — a position

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