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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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: tear · lean · fine · court · staff · mate · clip · mark

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. staff — employees
  3. lean — thin
  4. staff — employees
  5. court — of law
  6. mate — a friend
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. lean — to bend
  9. court — for sport
  10. mate — to breed
  11. tear — from crying
  12. mate — a partner
  13. staff — a stick
  14. mark — a trace
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. fine — high quality
  17. tear — from crying
  18. clip — to cut
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. mark — a grade
  21. clip — for paper
  22. fine — all right
  23. tear — to rip
  24. clip — a video

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