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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. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. court — of a king
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. rush — hurry
  7. saw — the tool
  8. court — for sport
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. saw — the tool
  12. wound — an injury
  13. game — wild animals
  14. sharp — clever
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. game — a match
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. wound — an injury
  19. court — of law
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. jam — a tight spot

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