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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. court — of a king
  4. ball — a dance
  5. court — of law
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. wind — moving air
  9. land — ground
  10. wind — moving air
  11. game — wild animals
  12. tube — a container
  13. branch — a division
  14. tube — the underground
  15. rock — music
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. land — a country
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. rock — a stone
  20. land — to come down
  21. court — for sport
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. ball — a great time

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