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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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. court — of a king
  3. stand — to bear
  4. ground — the earth
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. pit — a hole
  7. spell — letters
  8. chair — a leader
  9. court — for sport
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. ground — a position
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. court — of law
  17. clip — a video
  18. ground — crushed
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. clip — to cut
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. spell — a short time
  23. spell — magic
  24. clip — for paper

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