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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. court — of law
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. drill — army training
  6. bass — the fish
  7. pound — a weight
  8. court — for sport
  9. file — a tool
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. drill — a practice
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. file — a line of people
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. perch — the fish
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. file — a document
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. bass — low music
  24. drill — the tool

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