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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. court — of a king
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. court — for sport
  5. mate — a friend
  6. degree — from a university
  7. fine — high quality
  8. rash — hasty
  9. chest — a box
  10. mate — to breed
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. chest — of your body
  13. degree — an amount
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. degree — temperature
  17. rash — a series
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. saw — the tool
  20. saw — the tool
  21. fine — all right
  22. mate — a partner
  23. court — of law
  24. chest — of your body

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