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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. cold — an illness
  3. current — happening now
  4. court — of a king
  5. face — to confront
  6. cap — a hat
  7. court — of law
  8. season — of the year
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. current — of water
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. season — in sport
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. current — electric
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. cap — a lid
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. face — part of the head
  20. cap — of ice
  21. face — to point toward
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. cold — not warm
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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