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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. court — for sport
  3. mug — a cup
  4. spell — letters
  5. court — of a king
  6. ball — a dance
  7. pit — a hole
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. court — of law
  11. mug — a face
  12. row — to paddle
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. pit — in a race
  16. spell — magic
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. row — a line
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. ball — a great time
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. spell — a short time
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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