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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. saw — the tool
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. cue — a hint
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. cue — for pool
  8. fine — all right
  9. court — of law
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. wind — moving air
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. wind — moving air
  14. fine — high quality
  15. saw — the tool
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. ball — a dance
  18. court — of a king
  19. cue — a signal
  20. mate — a friend
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. mate — to breed
  23. mate — a partner
  24. ball — a great time

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