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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. mate — a partner
  3. court — of a king
  4. mate — a friend
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. staff — a stick
  8. fine — high quality
  9. court — for sport
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. staff — employees
  12. fine — all right
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. deal — to handle
  15. perch — the fish
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. staff — employees
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. court — of law
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. game — a match
  24. mate — to breed

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