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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 a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. court — of law
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. fall — to drop
  6. band — a music group
  7. lie — to recline
  8. stand — to bear
  9. court — for sport
  10. band — a ring
  11. net — for catching
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. net — in sport
  15. net — after costs
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. sharp — clever
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. fall — to drop
  24. fall — the season

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