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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 116 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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. rest — a break
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. tube — a container
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. court — for sport
  8. cap — of ice
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. stand — to bear
  11. rest — what's left
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. court — of law
  14. rest — what's left
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. shower — to wash
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. tube — the underground
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. cap — a hat
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. shower — rain
  24. cap — a lid

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