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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. court — of law
  3. suit — clothes
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. pop — music
  6. suit — in cards
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. scale — in music
  9. pop — to visit
  10. scale — size or range
  11. suit — to fit
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. court — of a king
  16. cold — an illness
  17. court — for sport
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. pop — soda
  20. rash — a series
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. rash — hasty
  23. cold — not warm
  24. safe — a strongbox

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