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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. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. court — of law
  5. last — final
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. club — for golf
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. club — for dancing
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. last — finally
  15. date — the fruit
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. court — for sport
  21. club — a group
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. last — to go on

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