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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. band — a music group
  3. object — to protest
  4. suit — to fit
  5. row — to paddle
  6. band — a ring
  7. court — of law
  8. object — an aim
  9. suit — in cards
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. swing — music
  13. shower — rain
  14. row — a line
  15. court — for sport
  16. object — a thing
  17. suit — clothes
  18. shower — to wash
  19. swing — to play on
  20. bank — of a river
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. bank — for money
  23. swing — in golf
  24. bank — for money

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