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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. court — of a king
  3. land — to come down
  4. lie — to recline
  5. rock — music
  6. pitch — completely
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. spell — magic
  11. land — ground
  12. court — for sport
  13. rock — a stone
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. ball — a dance
  16. spell — a short time
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. rule — government
  19. rule — a law
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. ball — a great time
  22. spell — letters
  23. land — a country
  24. pitch — a sports field

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