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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. swing — in golf
  3. swing — music
  4. court — for sport
  5. mark — a grade
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. swing — to play on
  8. cap — of ice
  9. cap — a hat
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. court — of law
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. content — the amount
  14. wake — a trail
  15. squash — to crush
  16. cap — a lid
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. track — a song
  19. track — a path
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. content — happy
  22. track — to keep track
  23. mark — a trace
  24. squash — the sport

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