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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. court — for sport
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. perch — the fish
  7. swing — to play on
  8. court — of law
  9. rule — a law
  10. rule — government
  11. track — a song
  12. wax — to grow
  13. dip — to sink
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. swing — in golf
  17. mark — a grade
  18. swing — music
  19. track — a path
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. mark — a trace
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. track — to keep track

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