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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. pop — to visit
  3. bore — to drill
  4. game — wild animals
  5. face — to point toward
  6. face — part of the head
  7. bore — to tire
  8. ball — a great time
  9. prune — to trim
  10. prune — to trim
  11. pop — soda
  12. court — of law
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. game — a match
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. ball — a dance
  17. branch — a division
  18. face — to confront
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. court — for sport
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. pop — music
  24. branch — of a bank

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