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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. rule — a law
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. can — to be able to
  7. plane — a tool
  8. tear — to rip
  9. tear — from crying
  10. chest — a box
  11. tear — from crying
  12. chest — of your body
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. court — of law
  16. can — a tin
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. can — a tin
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. court — for sport
  22. chest — of your body
  23. rule — government
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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