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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 120 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 strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  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. wind — moving air
  3. cue — for pool
  4. pop — music
  5. spell — magic
  6. spell — a short time
  7. court — of law
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. pop — soda
  10. rush — hurry
  11. cue — a signal
  12. pop — to visit
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. spell — letters
  16. cue — a hint
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. wind — moving air
  19. court — for sport
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. branch — a division
  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