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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. court — for sport
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. cue — a hint
  5. season — of the year
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. court — of a king
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. mate — a partner
  12. mate — a friend
  13. file — a tool
  14. mate — to breed
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. file — a document
  17. cue — for pool
  18. cue — a signal
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. rush — hurry
  22. file — a line of people
  23. court — of law
  24. season — in 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