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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 a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. bass — the fish
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. march — the month
  10. object — an aim
  11. chest — of your body
  12. object — to protest
  13. court — for sport
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. court — of law
  17. bass — low music
  18. chest — a box
  19. chest — of your body
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. march — music
  22. march — the month
  23. object — a thing
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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