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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 116 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 ball is in your ________________.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. court — for sport
  3. lie — to recline
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. pit — a hole
  7. bound — obliged
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. bound — certain
  10. bass — low music
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. hand — in cards
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. bound — tied together
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. pit — in a race
  19. court — of law
  20. bulb — for light
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. hand — help
  23. bass — the fish
  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