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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 124 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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. march — the month
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. wind — moving air
  7. wind — moving air
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. stock — goods
  13. stock — shares
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. march — the month
  20. court — of law
  21. court — for sport
  22. march — music
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. calf — a young animal

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