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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. game — wild animals
  4. land — ground
  5. ball — a dance
  6. foot — a measure
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. land — a country
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. chair — a leader
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. date — the fruit
  15. bear — the animal
  16. game — a match
  17. mate — a friend
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. bear — the animal
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. mate — a partner
  23. ball — a great time
  24. land — to come down

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