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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. present — a gift
  5. present — the time now
  6. face — to point toward
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. key — for a lock
  9. face — part of the head
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. court — for sport
  12. key — the most important part
  13. present — there
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. face — to confront
  16. key — in music
  17. pit — in a race
  18. shower — to wash
  19. shower — rain
  20. court — of law
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. pit — a hole

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