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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. saw — the tool
  4. club — a group
  5. roll — a list
  6. court — of law
  7. hand — in cards
  8. ball — a great time
  9. club — for dancing
  10. ball — a dance
  11. court — of a king
  12. club — for golf
  13. season — in sport
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. court — for sport
  16. roll — a cake
  17. saw — the tool
  18. mate — to breed
  19. mate — a partner
  20. season — of the year
  21. mate — a friend
  22. hand — help
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. season — to add flavour

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