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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 116 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 ball is in your ________________.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. fine — high quality
  3. suit — to fit
  4. present — a gift
  5. court — of a king
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. hand — help
  8. court — of law
  9. cap — a lid
  10. field — farmland
  11. present — there
  12. present — the time now
  13. suit — in cards
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. field — a subject
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. cap — of ice
  18. cap — a hat
  19. hand — in cards
  20. field — for sport
  21. suit — clothes
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. fine — all right

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