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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 ________________ went through the wall.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. mate — to breed
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. game — a match
  5. court — for sport
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. court — of law
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. stand — to bear
  10. file — a tool
  11. file — a line of people
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. game — wild animals
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. mate — a partner
  17. perch — the fish
  18. court — of a king
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. file — a document
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. mate — a friend

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