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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 120 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's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. mine — for digging
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. plane — a tool
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. lie — to recline
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. bore — to tire
  11. pass — a permit
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. court — of law
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. bore — to drill
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. bat — the animal
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. court — for sport
  24. mine — belonging to me

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