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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 120 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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. mate — a friend
  3. track — a song
  4. court — of a king
  5. track — to keep track
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. track — a path
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. court — of law
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. mate — to breed
  14. hand — help
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. rush — hurry
  18. court — for sport
  19. season — of the year
  20. season — in sport
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. hand — in cards
  23. mate — a partner
  24. rush — a thrill

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