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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. season — in sport
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. bear — the animal
  6. court — of law
  7. court — for sport
  8. bear — the animal
  9. season — of the year
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. rest — a break
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. pop — soda
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. pop — music
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. pop — to visit
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. rest — what's left
  22. row — to paddle
  23. row — a line
  24. rest — what's left

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