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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. hand — help
  3. hand — in cards
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. band — a music group
  6. last — finally
  7. fine — high quality
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. lie — to recline
  11. band — a ring
  12. court — for sport
  13. fine — all right
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. last — final
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. last — to go on
  18. court — of law
  19. stem — to come from
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. fine — a penalty

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