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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 hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. net — in sport
  3. ground — crushed
  4. mate — a partner
  5. mate — to breed
  6. net — for catching
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. chair — a leader
  9. ground — the earth
  10. season — of the year
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. season — in sport
  14. wind — moving air
  15. mark — a grade
  16. net — after costs
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. wind — moving air
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. ground — a position
  23. mate — a friend
  24. fan — a supporter

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