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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  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. court — of a king
  2. rush — hurry
  3. hand — help
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. court — for sport
  6. court — of law
  7. cap — of ice
  8. cap — a hat
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. hand — in cards
  12. cap — a lid
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. tube — the underground
  16. bass — low music
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. tube — a container
  19. bulb — for light
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. bass — the fish
  23. bulb — for light
  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