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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. court — of a king
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. court — for sport
  5. kick — in football
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. key — the most important part
  8. tube — a container
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. present — there
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. cold — not warm
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. key — in music
  15. court — of law
  16. fine — all right
  17. tube — the underground
  18. key — for a lock
  19. fine — high quality
  20. present — a gift
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. cold — an illness
  24. present — the time now

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