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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. court — of law
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. roll — a list
  6. roll — a cake
  7. ground — a position
  8. rock — music
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. ground — the earth
  13. mate — a friend
  14. court — for sport
  15. ground — crushed
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. mate — to breed
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. rock — a stone
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. court — of a king
  24. straw — dry grass

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