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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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. firm — decided
  4. tube — the underground
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. club — a group
  7. drill — a practice
  8. drill — army training
  9. club — for dancing
  10. wake — a trail
  11. club — for golf
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. foot — a measure
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. court — of law
  17. firm — a company
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. tube — a container
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. court — for sport
  22. drill — the tool
  23. perch — the fish
  24. perch — for a bird

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