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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 120 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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. court — of law
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. march — the month
  8. board — a committee
  9. march — music
  10. court — for sport
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. board — to get on
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. spring — the season
  15. march — the month
  16. spring — a coil
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. spring — of water
  20. kid — to tease
  21. kid — child
  22. deal — to handle
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. snap — to click

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