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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. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. hand — in cards
  3. court — for sport
  4. court — of law
  5. court — of a king
  6. pass — a permit
  7. ground — crushed
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. file — a document
  11. ground — a position
  12. chair — a leader
  13. ground — the earth
  14. hand — help
  15. file — a tool
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. bulb — for light
  18. file — a line of people
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. lie — to recline
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. bulb — for light

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