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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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. row — a line
  3. object — a thing
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. object — to protest
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. rule — a law
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. court — of a king
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. pit — in a race
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. cell — a phone
  14. object — an aim
  15. rule — government
  16. court — for sport
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. sharp — clever
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. cell — in biology
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. row — to paddle
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. pit — a hole

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