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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. court — for sport
  3. wake — a trail
  4. content — the amount
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. drill — a practice
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. rest — what's left
  10. club — for dancing
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. club — a group
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. court — of law
  15. club — for golf
  16. rest — a break
  17. drill — army training
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. content — happy
  21. branch — a division
  22. drill — the tool
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. rest — what's left

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