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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 120 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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. fall — the season
  5. mug — a cup
  6. chest — of your body
  7. saw — the tool
  8. chest — of your body
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. mug — a face
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. court — for sport
  13. bear — the animal
  14. court — of law
  15. mug — to rob
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. key — the most important part
  18. key — for a lock
  19. fall — to drop
  20. chest — a box
  21. saw — the tool
  22. key — in music
  23. fall — to drop
  24. bear — the animal

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