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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. court — for sport
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. sharp — clever
  6. net — for catching
  7. net — after costs
  8. saw — the tool
  9. mug — a face
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. object — an aim
  12. mug — to rob
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. court — of law
  16. mug — a cup
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. saw — the tool
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. object — a thing
  21. object — to protest
  22. dip — to sink
  23. net — in sport
  24. lie — to recline

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