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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. stand — to bear
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. suit — to fit
  6. mark — a trace
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. squash — the sport
  9. suit — in cards
  10. suit — clothes
  11. squash — to crush
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. mark — a grade
  14. court — for sport
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. tube — the underground
  17. court — of law
  18. tube — a container

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