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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. court — for sport
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. board — a committee
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. date — the fruit
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. season — in sport
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. mate — a friend
  13. season — of the year
  14. court — of law
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. vault — a safe
  17. court — of a king
  18. pass — a permit
  19. mate — to breed
  20. board — to get on
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. rock — a stone
  24. rock — music

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