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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. court — of a king
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. sharp — clever
  5. mine — for digging
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. cold — an illness
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. court — of law
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. fine — all right
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. mate — a partner
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. cold — not warm
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. mate — to breed
  21. mate — a friend
  22. court — for sport
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. fine — high quality

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