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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. march — music
  3. rock — a stone
  4. march — the month
  5. cap — of ice
  6. spell — letters
  7. rock — music
  8. spell — magic
  9. sharp — clever
  10. march — the month
  11. toast — bread
  12. mine — for digging
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. court — for sport
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. cap — a lid
  20. court — of law
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. spell — a short time
  24. cap — a hat

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