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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. court — for sport
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. face — to point toward
  6. swing — music
  7. wake — a trail
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. mark — a trace
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. tube — the underground
  12. court — of law
  13. tube — a container
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. face — to confront
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. swing — in golf
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. swing — to play on
  20. mark — a grade
  21. ball — a great time
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. face — part of the head
  24. ball — a dance

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