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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. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. suit — to fit
  5. court — for sport
  6. roll — a cake
  7. suit — clothes
  8. cold — an illness
  9. band — a music group
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. roll — a list
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. suit — in cards
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. bark — to shout
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. court — of law
  19. cold — not warm
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. vault — a safe
  23. lie — to recline
  24. band — a ring

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