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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. pop — soda
  3. suit — in cards
  4. wake — a trail
  5. drill — the tool
  6. shower — rain
  7. drill — a practice
  8. drill — army training
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. suit — to fit
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. mug — to rob
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. mug — a cup
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. suit — clothes
  19. pop — music
  20. pop — to visit
  21. court — of law
  22. shower — to wash
  23. mug — a face
  24. court — for sport

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