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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. court — of a king
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. track — a song
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. race — the arms race
  8. court — of law
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. sharp — clever
  12. track — a path
  13. track — to keep track
  14. race — a contest
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. race — humankind
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. deal — to handle
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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