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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. spell — a short time
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. cue — a hint
  6. mate — a friend
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. mug — a cup
  10. court — of law
  11. court — of a king
  12. mate — to breed
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. cue — a signal
  15. cue — for pool
  16. mug — a face
  17. mug — to rob
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. spell — magic
  20. court — for sport
  21. bat — the animal
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. spell — letters
  24. kick — in football

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