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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. pop — to visit
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. game — wild animals
  5. swing — music
  6. fine — high quality
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. race — a contest
  10. swing — to play on
  11. court — of law
  12. swing — in golf
  13. track — a path
  14. track — to keep track
  15. track — a song
  16. race — humankind
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. pop — soda
  19. race — the arms race
  20. pop — music
  21. game — a match
  22. court — for sport
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. fine — all right

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