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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. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. stand — to bear
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. net — after costs
  7. bore — to tire
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. court — of law
  11. fine — high quality
  12. bore — to drill
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. perch — the fish
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. net — in sport
  18. fine — all right
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. court — for sport
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. net — for catching
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. fan — to cool the air

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