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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. scale — size or range
  3. court — of a king
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. court — of law
  6. rest — a break
  7. fine — high quality
  8. scale — in music
  9. bore — to drill
  10. bear — the animal
  11. bear — the animal
  12. net — after costs
  13. net — in sport
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. fine — all right
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. mine — for digging
  18. net — for catching
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. rest — what's left
  21. bore — to tire
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. rest — what's left

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