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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. game — wild animals
  5. season — of the year
  6. pit — a hole
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. pit — in a race
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. game — a match
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. dip — to sink
  15. pound — a weight
  16. bound — certain
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. court — for sport
  19. court — of law
  20. bound — obliged
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. season — in sport
  23. wake — a trail
  24. bound — tied together

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