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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. court — of a king
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. mark — a grade
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. spell — a short time
  9. spell — magic
  10. chest — of your body
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. chest — a box
  15. chest — of your body
  16. bulb — for light
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. spell — letters
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. mark — a trace
  21. court — for sport
  22. bulb — for light
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. court — of law

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