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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. mine — for digging
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. stand — to bear
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. sharp — clever
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. lie — to recline
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. court — of law
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. court — for sport
  18. lie — an untruth

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