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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. net — in sport
  3. net — for catching
  4. lean — to bend
  5. hand — in cards
  6. mate — a partner
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. stand — to bear
  9. court — of law
  10. mate — a friend
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. hand — help
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. lean — thin
  17. court — for sport
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. sharp — clever
  21. court — of a king
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. net — after costs
  24. sharp — exactly

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