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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. mine — for digging
  5. firm — decided
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. pass — a permit
  8. firm — a company
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. wake — a trail
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. shower — rain
  16. court — of a king
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. shower — to wash
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. net — after costs
  21. net — for catching
  22. net — in sport
  23. firm — steady
  24. court — for sport

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