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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. court — of law
  3. bound — obliged
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. court — for sport
  6. scale — size or range
  7. wind — moving air
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. bound — tied together
  11. mug — a cup
  12. pound — a weight
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. mug — to rob
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. wind — moving air
  18. mug — a face
  19. scale — in music
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. bound — certain
  24. pound — to hit hard

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