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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. court — of a king
  3. pitch — completely
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. court — of law
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. sharp — clever
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. kick — in football
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. court — for sport
  24. rule — a law

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