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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. mate — to breed
  3. cap — a lid
  4. squash — the sport
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. squash — to crush
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. court — for sport
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. mate — a partner
  12. fine — high quality
  13. fine — all right
  14. hand — in cards
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. court — of law
  18. court — of a king
  19. hand — help
  20. cap — a hat
  21. cap — of ice
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. trunk — of a car

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