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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. net — in sport
  3. march — music
  4. court — for sport
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. march — the month
  8. net — after costs
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. court — of a king
  11. mate — a partner
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. rash — a series
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. rash — hasty
  17. net — for catching
  18. pound — a weight
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. mate — a friend
  21. march — the month
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. court — of law

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