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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 120 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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. swing — music
  3. net — in sport
  4. swing — in golf
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. court — for sport
  7. stock — goods
  8. net — for catching
  9. lie — to recline
  10. net — after costs
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. wound — an injury
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. wound — an injury
  16. mug — to rob
  17. court — of law
  18. stock — shares
  19. mug — a face
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. band — a ring
  22. band — a music group
  23. swing — to play on
  24. mug — a cup

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