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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. court — of law
  4. mate — to breed
  5. mate — a partner
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. branch — a division
  8. face — part of the head
  9. content — the amount
  10. content — happy
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. lie — to recline
  15. face — to point toward
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. court — of a king
  21. face — to confront
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. court — for sport
  24. branch — of a tree

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