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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. bulb — for light
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. roll — a list
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. court — of a king
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. chest — of your body
  16. roll — a cake
  17. chest — a box
  18. wind — moving air
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. court — of law
  21. bulb — for light
  22. wind — moving air
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. chest — of your body

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