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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. foot — a measure
  3. court — for sport
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. track — to keep track
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. court — of law
  9. shower — rain
  10. perch — the fish
  11. rest — a break
  12. rest — what's left
  13. track — a song
  14. rest — what's left
  15. spell — a short time
  16. spell — magic
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. shower — to wash
  20. spell — letters
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. track — a path
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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