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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. shower — to wash
  3. lean — thin
  4. can — a tin
  5. mate — a partner
  6. pop — to visit
  7. face — to point toward
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. last — final
  10. face — part of the head
  11. can — a tin
  12. can — to be able to
  13. mate — to breed
  14. pop — music
  15. pop — soda
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. last — finally
  18. court — for sport
  19. last — to go on
  20. mate — a friend
  21. shower — rain
  22. court — of law
  23. face — to confront
  24. lean — to bend

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