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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 116 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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. mate — a friend
  3. pit — in a race
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. squash — to crush
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. court — of a king
  9. cue — a hint
  10. mate — to breed
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. season — of the year
  13. deal — to handle
  14. squash — the sport
  15. pit — a hole
  16. court — for sport
  17. cue — a signal
  18. season — in sport
  19. cue — for pool
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. sharp — clever
  23. court — of law
  24. deal — an agreement

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