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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. fine — all right
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. key — for a lock
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. rest — what's left
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. rule — a law
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. rule — government
  13. key — the most important part
  14. rest — what's left
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. fine — high quality
  17. court — for sport
  18. key — in music
  19. rest — a break
  20. mine — for digging
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. bat — the animal
  23. court — of law
  24. nail — on a finger

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