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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. saw — the tool
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. mate — to breed
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. court — of law
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. tube — a container
  12. mate — a partner
  13. court — of a king
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. tube — the underground
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. saw — the tool
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. bat — the animal
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. court — for sport

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