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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. court — of law
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. lean — thin
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. toast — bread
  10. dip — to sink
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. clip — to cut
  13. stock — shares
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. court — for sport
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. clip — for paper
  18. stock — goods
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. clip — a video
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. date — the fruit
  23. lean — to bend
  24. rush — hurry

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