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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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. court — of law
  8. wound — an injury
  9. present — a gift
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. cap — a lid
  12. pit — a hole
  13. pit — in a race
  14. court — of a king
  15. rule — government
  16. present — the time now
  17. rule — a law
  18. date — the fruit
  19. cap — of ice
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. present — there
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. wound — an injury
  24. cap — a hat

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