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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 116 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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. court — for sport
  3. mug — a face
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. court — of a king
  6. season — of the year
  7. branch — a division
  8. lie — to recline
  9. mine — for digging
  10. mug — a cup
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. game — wild animals
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. court — of law
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. game — a match
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. season — in sport
  24. lie — an untruth

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