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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. firm — a company
  5. mate — a partner
  6. swing — to play on
  7. stand — to bear
  8. race — humankind
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. swing — music
  11. firm — decided
  12. court — of law
  13. race — the arms race
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. firm — steady
  16. swing — in golf
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. mate — to breed
  19. court — for sport
  20. clip — a video
  21. clip — for paper
  22. clip — to cut
  23. race — a contest
  24. mate — a friend

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