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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. last — finally
  3. last — final
  4. court — of law
  5. last — to go on
  6. drill — army training
  7. net — for catching
  8. face — to confront
  9. face — part of the head
  10. court — for sport
  11. face — to point toward
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. ball — a dance
  16. drill — a practice
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. ball — a great time
  21. net — after costs
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. net — in sport
  24. drill — the tool

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