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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. rest — a break
  4. saw — the tool
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. saw — the tool
  9. rest — what's left
  10. bound — tied together
  11. court — for sport
  12. rest — what's left
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. mine — for digging
  15. court — of law
  16. ball — a great time
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. bound — certain
  19. ball — a dance
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. fork — in a road
  24. bound — obliged

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