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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. court — for sport
  3. rush — hurry
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. fine — all right
  6. court — of law
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. rule — a law
  9. chip — for betting
  10. fine — high quality
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. chip — to eat
  13. last — final
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. foot — a measure
  16. last — to go on
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. rule — government
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. last — finally
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. pass — a permit
  24. fine — a penalty

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