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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. can — a tin
  3. can — a tin
  4. field — for sport
  5. pit — in a race
  6. can — to be able to
  7. field — a subject
  8. drill — army training
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. pit — a hole
  11. spring — the season
  12. drill — a practice
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. perch — the fish
  15. spring — of water
  16. pound — a weight
  17. drill — the tool
  18. spring — a coil
  19. court — for sport
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. court — of law
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. field — farmland

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