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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. spring — the season
  3. mate — a friend
  4. spring — a coil
  5. mate — a partner
  6. court — for sport
  7. court — of law
  8. spring — of water
  9. saw — the tool
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. date — the fruit
  12. ball — a dance
  13. object — to protest
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. object — an aim
  16. game — a match
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. ball — a great time
  19. game — wild animals
  20. object — a thing
  21. court — of a king
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. mate — to breed

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