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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 are we going to ________________?
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. court — of a king
  3. lie — to recline
  4. degree — temperature
  5. stand — to bear
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. hand — in cards
  8. land — a country
  9. land — ground
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. degree — from a university
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. degree — an amount
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. hand — help
  17. court — of law
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. court — for sport
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. racket — for tennis

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