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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 120 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. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. pitch — completely
  3. band — a ring
  4. court — of law
  5. field — farmland
  6. dip — to sink
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. court — for sport
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. band — a music group
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. field — for sport
  16. tube — the underground
  17. deal — to handle
  18. field — a subject
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. tube — a container
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. dip — to dunk

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