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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. last — to go on
  3. last — final
  4. court — of a king
  5. deal — to handle
  6. court — for sport
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. fine — high quality
  11. rock — music
  12. pass — a permit
  13. fine — all right
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. last — finally
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. rock — a stone

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