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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. court — for sport
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. suit — in cards
  6. suit — to fit
  7. bore — to drill
  8. swing — to play on
  9. spell — letters
  10. wind — moving air
  11. swing — music
  12. court — of a king
  13. bore — to tire
  14. swing — in golf
  15. firm — a company
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. firm — decided
  18. spell — a short time
  19. suit — clothes
  20. saw — the tool
  21. saw — the tool
  22. wind — moving air
  23. spell — magic
  24. firm — steady

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