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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. court — of a king
  3. content — happy
  4. mark — a trace
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. content — the amount
  8. tear — from crying
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. pass — a permit
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. tear — to rip
  18. court — for sport
  19. mark — a grade
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. court — of law
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. pass — to spend time

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