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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. march — the month
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. can — a tin
  7. cell — a phone
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. march — the month
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. cell — in biology
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. can — a tin
  17. bear — the animal
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. can — to be able to
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. court — for sport
  22. bear — the animal
  23. march — music
  24. court — of law

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