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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. mate — a partner
  3. ball — a dance
  4. court — of a king
  5. object — an aim
  6. object — to protest
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. court — of law
  9. ground — crushed
  10. face — to point toward
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. rest — what's left
  13. face — part of the head
  14. branch — a division
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. ground — the earth
  17. mate — to breed
  18. rest — what's left
  19. rest — a break
  20. face — to confront
  21. court — for sport
  22. object — a thing
  23. ball — a great time
  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