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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 116 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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. mark — a grade
  5. board — to get on
  6. club — for dancing
  7. kid — to tease
  8. kid — child
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. march — the month
  12. cue — a signal
  13. march — music
  14. court — for sport
  15. cue — for pool
  16. cue — a hint
  17. march — the month
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. board — a committee
  21. mark — a trace
  22. club — a group
  23. court — of law
  24. club — for golf

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