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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. court — of law
  3. band — a ring
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. game — a match
  6. present — there
  7. snap — to click
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. present — a gift
  13. court — for sport
  14. game — wild animals
  15. band — a music group
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. court — of a king
  18. band — a rubber band

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