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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. court — for sport
  4. court — of law
  5. game — wild animals
  6. can — to be able to
  7. wind — moving air
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. can — a tin
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. mug — a face
  13. mug — a cup
  14. court — of a king
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. game — a match
  17. wind — moving air
  18. can — a tin

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