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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. pop — music
  3. court — of law
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. spell — letters
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. spell — magic
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. hand — help
  12. court — of a king
  13. hand — in cards
  14. spell — a short time
  15. pop — soda
  16. snap — to click
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. tube — the underground
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. court — for sport
  22. tube — a container
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. hand — part of the body

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