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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. mate — a friend
  3. kid — child
  4. ball — a great time
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. net — in sport
  7. mate — a partner
  8. fine — all right
  9. season — of the year
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. net — after costs
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. mate — to breed
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. net — for catching
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. season — in sport
  21. fine — high quality
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. ball — a dance

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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