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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 didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. tear — from crying
  4. game — wild animals
  5. rule — government
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. court — of law
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. tear — from crying
  11. bulb — for light
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. season — of the year
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. game — a match
  17. tear — to rip
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. court — for sport
  20. wake — a trail
  21. rule — a law
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. bulb — for light
  24. season — in sport

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