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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. court — of a king
  4. fine — all right
  5. mine — for digging
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. fall — to drop
  8. fine — high quality
  9. court — of law
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. fall — to drop
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. fall — the season

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