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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. present — the time now
  3. present — a gift
  4. cold — an illness
  5. fall — the season
  6. court — of law
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. cold — not warm
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. present — there
  13. stand — to bear
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. fall — to drop
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. mark — a grade
  20. fall — to drop
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. mark — a trace
  23. court — for sport
  24. kick — in football

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