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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 120 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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. pit — a hole
  3. spell — letters
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. stand — to bear
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. court — of law
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. hand — in cards
  13. court — for sport
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. spell — magic
  19. pit — in a race
  20. hand — help
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. spell — a short time

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