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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. court — of a king
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. pop — to visit
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. rest — what's left
  8. clip — to cut
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. rest — what's left
  11. pop — music
  12. clip — a video
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. court — for sport
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. court — of law
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. clip — for paper
  22. pop — soda
  23. dip — to sink
  24. ruler — for measuring

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