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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. mate — a partner
  4. pit — a hole
  5. cap — a hat
  6. field — for sport
  7. mate — a friend
  8. pit — in a race
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. field — a subject
  11. court — for sport
  12. court — of law
  13. field — farmland
  14. court — of a king
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. cap — of ice
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. march — the month
  20. ball — a dance
  21. cap — a lid
  22. march — music
  23. march — the month
  24. ball — a great time

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