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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've got to change the light ________________.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. bulb — for light
  3. chest — of your body
  4. cap — a lid
  5. drill — a practice
  6. chest — a box
  7. cap — of ice
  8. drill — the tool
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. court — of law
  11. staff — employees
  12. bulb — for light
  13. tube — a container
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. staff — employees
  17. cap — a hat
  18. court — for sport
  19. tube — the underground
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. drill — army training
  22. chest — of your body
  23. staff — a stick
  24. pitcher — a jug

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