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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. mate — a partner
  7. fall — to drop
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. ground — a position
  10. mate — to breed
  11. ground — crushed
  12. ground — the earth
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. court — of law
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. fall — the season
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. court — of a king
  20. fall — to drop
  21. rush — hurry
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. court — for sport
  24. temple — side of the head

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