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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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. present — there
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. fine — all right
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. court — of a king
  7. court — for sport
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. present — a gift
  10. file — a tool
  11. cell — in biology
  12. present — the time now
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. rush — hurry
  15. file — a document
  16. field — a subject
  17. cell — a phone
  18. field — for sport
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. fine — high quality
  22. file — a line of people
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. field — farmland

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