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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. mug — to rob
  3. row — a line
  4. saw — the tool
  5. ball — a dance
  6. rash — hasty
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. mug — a face
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. row — to paddle
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. mug — a cup
  18. saw — the tool
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. court — of law
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. court — for sport
  23. ball — a great time
  24. rash — a series

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