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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. chip — to eat
  5. row — to paddle
  6. bank — of a river
  7. bank — for money
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. court — of law
  13. rash — hasty
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. band — a ring
  18. row — a line
  19. chip — for betting
  20. rash — a series
  21. bank — for money
  22. band — a music group
  23. wake — a trail
  24. court — for sport

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