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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. wind — moving air
  6. cold — an illness
  7. cold — not warm
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. court — for sport
  10. object — an aim
  11. wind — moving air
  12. court — of law
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. sharp — clever
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. object — a thing
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. fork — in a road
  24. object — to protest

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