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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. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. fork — in a road
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. bound — certain
  5. tear — to rip
  6. face — part of the head
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. rush — hurry
  9. face — to point toward
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. squash — to crush
  12. squash — the sport
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. tear — from crying
  15. bound — obliged
  16. court — for sport
  17. bound — tied together
  18. lie — to recline
  19. face — to confront
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. court — of law
  22. tear — from crying
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. fork — a garden tool

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