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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. court — of law
  3. mate — a friend
  4. mate — a partner
  5. mine — for digging
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. saw — the tool
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. net — in sport
  10. court — for sport
  11. mate — to breed
  12. ground — crushed
  13. net — for catching
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. ground — a position
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. ground — the earth
  19. net — after costs
  20. court — of a king
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. saw — the tool

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