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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. perch — the fish
  4. tube — the underground
  5. track — to keep track
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. content — the amount
  8. court — of law
  9. track — a song
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. content — happy
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. tube — a container
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. track — a path
  16. current — happening now
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. current — of water
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. court — for sport
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. current — electric
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. hide — animal skin

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