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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. tube — a container
  3. rest — what's left
  4. rest — a break
  5. mate — a partner
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. court — for sport
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. mate — a friend
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. rest — what's left
  13. mate — to breed
  14. court — of law
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. fork — in a road
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. bat — the animal
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. tube — the underground
  23. court — of a king
  24. fork — to eat with

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