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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's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. mate — a friend
  3. bound — certain
  4. mate — a partner
  5. court — of law
  6. dip — to sink
  7. cap — a hat
  8. court — for sport
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. cap — a lid
  11. deal — to handle
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. mate — to breed
  16. bound — obliged
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. perch — the fish
  20. cap — of ice
  21. court — of a king
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. bound — tied together

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