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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. rock — music
  3. can — to be able to
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. bore — to drill
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. field — farmland
  9. rock — a stone
  10. field — a subject
  11. wound — an injury
  12. can — a tin
  13. field — for sport
  14. court — for sport
  15. pass — a permit
  16. can — a tin
  17. bore — to tire
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. wound — an injury
  21. face — part of the head
  22. face — to confront
  23. court — of law
  24. face — to point toward

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