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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. lean — thin
  3. snap — to click
  4. bank — for money
  5. bat — the animal
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. bank — for money
  9. bank — of a river
  10. court — for sport
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. court — of law
  13. field — a subject
  14. board — to get on
  15. board — a committee
  16. field — for sport
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. field — farmland
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. lean — to bend
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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