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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. clip — a video
  3. court — of a king
  4. clip — for paper
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. net — after costs
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. fine — all right
  13. net — in sport
  14. bear — the animal
  15. saw — the tool
  16. bear — the animal
  17. clip — to cut
  18. saw — the tool
  19. fine — high quality
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. court — of law
  24. net — for catching

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