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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 124 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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. face — part of the head
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. court — for sport
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. mark — a trace
  8. face — to confront
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. face — to point toward
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. pop — music
  13. court — of law
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. sharp — clever
  16. pop — to visit
  17. present — there
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. pop — soda
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. mine — for digging
  22. present — a gift
  23. mark — a grade
  24. present — the time now

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