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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. bound — certain
  3. row — to paddle
  4. row — a line
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. bound — obliged
  7. bear — the animal
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. court — of law
  10. game — wild animals
  11. ball — a dance
  12. court — for sport
  13. last — to go on
  14. bound — tied together
  15. last — finally
  16. bear — the animal
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. game — a match
  19. ball — a great time
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. last — final
  24. wave — with your hand

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