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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. rule — government
  3. pit — in a race
  4. rule — a law
  5. chair — a leader
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. lean — to bend
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. court — of law
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. roll — a list
  16. pit — a hole
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. court — for sport
  20. bat — the animal
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. roll — a cake
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. lean — thin

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