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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. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. fine — all right
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. saw — the tool
  9. last — final
  10. fine — high quality
  11. last — finally
  12. court — for sport
  13. face — to confront
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. face — to point toward
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. last — to go on
  19. court — of law
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. kick — in football
  22. face — part of the head
  23. saw — the tool
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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