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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. court — of a king
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. march — the month
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. march — the month
  8. court — of law
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. march — music
  14. rush — hurry
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. court — for sport
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. rush — to hurry

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