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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 the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. wound — an injury
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. season — in sport
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. court — for sport
  8. bass — the fish
  9. rash — a series
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. season — of the year
  13. wound — an injury
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. court — of law
  20. bass — low music
  21. rash — hasty
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. season — to add flavour

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