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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 120 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 is in your ________________.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. mate — to breed
  3. rock — music
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. content — happy
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. suit — in cards
  8. court — of a king
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. rock — a stone
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. content — the amount
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. suit — to fit
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. mate — a partner
  17. mate — a friend
  18. suit — clothes
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. kick — in football
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. court — of law
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. hide — to keep secret

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