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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. cap — a lid
  3. last — finally
  4. mate — to breed
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. suit — clothes
  7. suit — to fit
  8. mug — a cup
  9. court — for sport
  10. court — of law
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. last — to go on
  13. game — a match
  14. mate — a friend
  15. cap — of ice
  16. mug — a face
  17. dip — to sink
  18. cap — a hat
  19. mate — a partner
  20. mug — to rob
  21. game — wild animals
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. last — final
  24. court — of a king

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