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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. lean — to bend
  3. court — of a king
  4. fall — to drop
  5. bound — certain
  6. court — of law
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. bound — obliged
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. fall — the season
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. rash — hasty
  14. court — for sport
  15. pit — a hole
  16. bound — tied together
  17. pit — in a race
  18. bulb — for light
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. lean — thin
  21. bulb — for light
  22. fall — to drop
  23. rash — a series
  24. racket — a loud noise

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