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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 will it ________________ you to start?
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. court — of a king
  3. face — part of the head
  4. rash — a series
  5. suit — in cards
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. face — to confront
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. rash — hasty
  10. court — of law
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. land — a country
  13. land — ground
  14. saw — the tool
  15. land — to come down
  16. suit — clothes
  17. row — a line
  18. row — to paddle
  19. court — for sport
  20. saw — the tool
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. deal — to handle
  24. face — to point toward

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