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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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. bear — the animal
  3. court — for sport
  4. cap — of ice
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. mug — to rob
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. court — of law
  9. cap — a hat
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. bound — tied together
  12. field — a subject
  13. bore — to tire
  14. cap — a lid
  15. field — farmland
  16. bound — certain
  17. bore — to drill
  18. mug — a face
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. bear — the animal
  21. mug — a cup
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. field — for sport
  24. bound — obliged

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