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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. court — of law
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. mine — for digging
  5. court — of a king
  6. wake — a trail
  7. face — part of the head
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. suit — in cards
  10. mug — a cup
  11. face — to confront
  12. court — for sport
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. mug — to rob
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. mug — a face
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. face — to point toward
  23. suit — to fit
  24. suit — clothes

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