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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. firm — a company
  3. court — of law
  4. present — a gift
  5. snap — to click
  6. roll — a list
  7. roll — a cake
  8. mug — to rob
  9. present — there
  10. firm — steady
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. season — in sport
  16. mug — a cup
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. mug — a face
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. present — the time now
  22. court — of a king
  23. season — of the year
  24. firm — decided

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