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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. wound — an injury
  3. board — to get on
  4. pit — a hole
  5. board — a committee
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. firm — decided
  8. fall — the season
  9. sharp — clever
  10. fall — to drop
  11. stock — shares
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. court — for sport
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. wound — an injury
  17. firm — a company
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. stock — goods
  20. fall — to drop
  21. firm — steady
  22. court — of law
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. pit — in a race

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