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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 124 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 don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. spell — a short time
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. court — of law
  7. row — to paddle
  8. tear — from crying
  9. face — to point toward
  10. court — for sport
  11. rock — music
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. row — a line
  16. spell — letters
  17. tear — from crying
  18. rock — a stone
  19. face — to confront
  20. spell — magic
  21. perch — the fish
  22. face — part of the head
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. tear — to rip

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