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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. court — of a king
  3. face — part of the head
  4. tear — to rip
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. file — a document
  7. mark — a trace
  8. hand — in cards
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. face — to confront
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. mark — a grade
  15. face — to point toward
  16. bear — the animal
  17. tear — from crying
  18. court — for sport
  19. tear — from crying
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. bear — the animal
  22. file — a tool
  23. hand — help
  24. file — a line of people

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