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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. rule — government
  3. bound — tied together
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. clip — for paper
  7. bound — certain
  8. court — for sport
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. court — of law
  11. rule — a law
  12. bulb — for light
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. mark — a grade
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. mark — a trace
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. bulb — for light
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. bound — obliged
  21. clip — to cut
  22. clip — a video
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. fan — a supporter

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