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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. spell — letters
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. hand — help
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. court — of law
  7. court — for sport
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. cell — in biology
  10. fall — the season
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. spell — a short time
  14. hand — in cards
  15. cell — a phone
  16. spell — magic
  17. cue — for pool
  18. cue — a hint
  19. fall — to drop
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. fall — to drop
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. cue — a signal
  24. pitcher — a jug

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