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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: court · mouse · racket · mate · hide · face · deal · pound

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. mate — a friend
  3. face — to point toward
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. court — for sport
  10. court — of a king
  11. deal — to handle
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. court — of law
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. pound — a weight
  16. face — to confront
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. mate — a partner
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. face — part of the head

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