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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. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. chest — a box
  3. court — of law
  4. last — to go on
  5. chest — of your body
  6. ground — crushed
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. last — final
  11. drill — army training
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. stock — shares
  14. drill — a practice
  15. last — finally
  16. ground — the earth
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. ground — a position
  20. stock — goods
  21. drill — the tool
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. court — for sport
  24. chest — of your body

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