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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. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. cell — a phone
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. face — to confront
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. cell — in biology
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. court — of law
  13. court — for sport
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. swing — in golf
  17. face — to point toward
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. band — a music group
  20. band — a ring
  21. swing — music
  22. face — part of the head
  23. swing — to play on
  24. hide — to keep secret

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