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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 116 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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. present — a gift
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. pitch — completely
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. court — for sport
  7. ball — a dance
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. present — there
  10. staff — a stick
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. present — the time now
  13. rash — a series
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. wake — a trail
  16. rash — hasty
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. bat — the animal
  19. staff — employees
  20. ball — a great time
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. court — of law
  23. staff — employees
  24. pitch — a sports field

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