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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. face — part of the head
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. mate — a friend
  7. court — for sport
  8. last — finally
  9. last — final
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. mine — for digging
  12. mark — a trace
  13. last — to go on
  14. face — to point toward
  15. court — of a king
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. cue — a signal
  18. face — to confront
  19. court — of law
  20. mate — a partner
  21. cue — a hint
  22. mark — a grade
  23. mate — to breed
  24. cue — for pool

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