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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. date — the fruit
  3. field — farmland
  4. field — a subject
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. spell — a short time
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. field — for sport
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. court — for sport
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. spell — magic
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. board — a committee
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. shower — to wash
  20. spell — letters
  21. court — of a king
  22. shower — rain
  23. lie — to recline
  24. board — to get on

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