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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. court — of law
  4. pit — in a race
  5. rule — government
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. roll — a list
  8. pop — music
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. pit — a hole
  11. roll — a cake
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. court — of a king
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. court — for sport
  20. rule — a law
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. pop — soda
  24. pitcher — a jug

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