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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 116 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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. mate — a partner
  3. chip — for betting
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. scale — size or range
  6. cap — a lid
  7. court — of law
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. cap — a hat
  10. bass — the fish
  11. mate — to breed
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. cap — of ice
  15. chip — to eat
  16. bass — low music
  17. scale — in music
  18. bore — to tire
  19. court — of a king
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. bore — to drill
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. court — for sport

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