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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. fall — the season
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. mate — a friend
  6. current — electric
  7. court — for sport
  8. saw — the tool
  9. court — of law
  10. saw — the tool
  11. mate — a partner
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. current — of water
  14. last — final
  15. fall — to drop
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. lie — to recline
  18. current — happening now
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. fall — to drop
  21. mate — to breed
  22. last — to go on
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. last — finally

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