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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. wake — a trail
  3. drill — a practice
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. drill — the tool
  6. drill — army training
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. court — of law
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. land — ground
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. suit — clothes
  14. suit — in cards
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. bound — tied together
  17. bound — obliged
  18. bound — certain
  19. bat — the animal
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. land — to come down
  22. land — a country
  23. court — for sport
  24. suit — to fit

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