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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 120 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. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. firm — steady
  3. object — to protest
  4. firm — decided
  5. object — a thing
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. court — for sport
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. tube — a container
  10. tube — the underground
  11. object — an aim
  12. mug — a face
  13. court — of law
  14. chest — of your body
  15. ball — a great time
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. mug — a cup
  18. mug — to rob
  19. firm — a company
  20. chest — of your body
  21. ball — a dance
  22. chest — a box
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. pound — a weight

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