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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. perch — the fish
  3. bear — the animal
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. court — of law
  6. spell — a short time
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. spell — magic
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. bear — the animal
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. capital — money
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. capital — a city
  21. court — for sport
  22. spell — letters
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. nail — for a hammer

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