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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. cap — a lid
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. wind — moving air
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. cap — a hat
  8. court — for sport
  9. cue — a signal
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. wind — moving air
  12. cap — of ice
  13. cue — a hint
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. court — of law
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. cue — for pool

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