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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. court — for sport
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. drill — the tool
  6. club — for dancing
  7. court — of law
  8. spring — of water
  9. spring — a coil
  10. root — the cause
  11. drill — a practice
  12. spring — the season
  13. club — for golf
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. root — of a word
  17. drill — army training
  18. deal — to handle
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. root — of a plant
  21. content — happy
  22. club — a group
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. content — the amount

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