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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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. scale — for weighing
  4. board — to get on
  5. bear — the animal
  6. content — happy
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. rock — a stone
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. bear — the animal
  12. court — for sport
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. content — the amount
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. board — a committee
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. rock — music
  21. scale — in music
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. scale — size or range
  24. court — of law

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