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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. court — of a king
  5. mate — a partner
  6. court — for sport
  7. bank — for money
  8. bank — for money
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. mate — to breed
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. saw — the tool
  13. court — of law
  14. pop — music
  15. mate — a friend
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. chair — a leader
  18. date — the fruit
  19. pop — to visit
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. pop — soda
  22. bank — of a river
  23. saw — the tool
  24. date — on the calendar

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