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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. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. court — of law
  4. rule — government
  5. season — of the year
  6. court — for sport
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. march — music
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. rule — a law
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. saw — the tool
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. ball — a dance
  17. march — the month
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. saw — the tool
  21. ball — a great time
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. season — in sport
  24. march — the month

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