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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 partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. present — there
  3. bear — the animal
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. rush — hurry
  6. wake — a trail
  7. vault — a safe
  8. shower — to wash
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. bear — the animal
  12. present — a gift
  13. court — of law
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. shower — rain
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. kid — to tease
  18. present — the time now
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. kid — child
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. court — for sport
  24. bear — to put up with

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