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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 teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. roll — a list
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. court — for sport
  12. dip — to sink
  13. drill — army training
  14. last — final
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. court — of law
  17. last — to go on
  18. fine — high quality
  19. drill — a practice
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. drill — the tool
  22. roll — a cake
  23. last — finally
  24. fine — all right

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