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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. mate — to breed
  4. net — after costs
  5. scale — size or range
  6. charge — electricity
  7. court — of a king
  8. scale — in music
  9. net — for catching
  10. charge — a price
  11. net — in sport
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. can — a tin
  16. court — of law
  17. can — a tin
  18. mate — a partner
  19. court — for sport
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. mate — a friend
  23. charge — in control
  24. pitcher — a jug

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