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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. season — in sport
  3. mug — a face
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. mug — to rob
  6. bear — the animal
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. net — after costs
  9. kid — to tease
  10. mate — to breed
  11. court — for sport
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. court — of a king
  14. rest — what's left
  15. net — for catching
  16. kid — child
  17. bear — the animal
  18. mate — a friend
  19. season — of the year
  20. rest — what's left
  21. mug — a cup
  22. rest — a break
  23. court — of law
  24. mate — a partner

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