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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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. rash — hasty
  4. kick — in football
  5. net — in sport
  6. dip — to sink
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. net — after costs
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. season — in sport
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. track — a path
  14. net — for catching
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. court — of law
  17. rash — a series
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. track — a song
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. court — for sport
  22. season — of the year
  23. track — to keep track
  24. dip — a sauce

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