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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. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. court — of law
  3. face — to point toward
  4. court — of a king
  5. pit — a hole
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. kid — to tease
  10. race — the arms race
  11. race — a contest
  12. face — to confront
  13. court — for sport
  14. band — a ring
  15. pit — in a race
  16. kid — child
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. face — part of the head
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. race — humankind
  24. band — a music group

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