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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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. court — of law
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. kid — to tease
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. field — farmland
  12. court — for sport
  13. field — a subject
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. pitch — completely
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. row — a line
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. row — to paddle
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. field — for sport
  23. kid — child
  24. temple — side of the head

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