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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. game — wild animals
  6. mate — a friend
  7. root — of a plant
  8. court — of law
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. court — for sport
  11. root — the cause
  12. game — a match
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. bear — the animal
  15. bear — the animal
  16. mate — to breed
  17. court — of a king
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. perch — the fish
  20. root — of a word
  21. saw — the tool
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. saw — the tool

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