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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 116 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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  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. track — a song
  3. track — to keep track
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. pitch — completely
  7. content — the amount
  8. court — for sport
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. last — finally
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. track — a path
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. court — of law
  18. last — final
  19. content — happy
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. last — to go on
  22. ball — a dance
  23. ball — a round shape
  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