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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 120 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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. rock — music
  3. can — a tin
  4. court — of law
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. court — for sport
  8. can — to be able to
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. saw — the tool
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. land — to come down
  13. land — a country
  14. saw — the tool
  15. rock — a stone
  16. land — ground
  17. can — a tin
  18. pitcher — a jug

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