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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. That was a fun ________________.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. game — a match
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. pass — a permit
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. branch — a division
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. game — wild animals
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. court — of law
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. wax — to grow
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. court — for sport
  22. perch — the fish
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. perch — for a bird

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