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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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. tear — from crying
  3. net — after costs
  4. net — for catching
  5. mark — a trace
  6. lie — to recline
  7. tear — from crying
  8. court — for sport
  9. court — of a king
  10. cue — a hint
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. wound — an injury
  15. ball — a dance
  16. cue — for pool
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. net — in sport
  19. tear — to rip
  20. ball — a great time
  21. wound — an injury
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. cue — a signal
  24. mark — a grade

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