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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. pitch — completely
  3. spell — letters
  4. rash — a series
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. rest — a break
  7. court — for sport
  8. charge — a price
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. charge — in control
  12. rest — what's left
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. court — of law
  15. rash — hasty
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. rest — what's left
  20. spell — magic
  21. charge — electricity
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. spell — a short time
  24. rash — on the skin

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