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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  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. court — of a king
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. mug — a cup
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. wound — an injury
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. ball — a dance
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. court — for sport
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. pitch — completely
  12. wound — an injury
  13. spell — magic
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. court — of law
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. mug — a face
  18. toast — bread
  19. spell — a short time
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. mug — to rob
  22. spell — letters
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  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