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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. sharp — clever
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. key — for a lock
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. court — of law
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. key — the most important part
  9. net — after costs
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. vault — a safe
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. pitch — completely
  16. bark — to shout
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. court — for sport
  20. key — in music
  21. net — in sport
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. net — for catching
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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