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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. mug — a cup
  3. mug — to rob
  4. court — of a king
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. last — finally
  7. mate — to breed
  8. court — of law
  9. mate — a friend
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. stem — to come from
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. last — final
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. dip — to sink
  20. last — to go on
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. court — for sport
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. mug — a face

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