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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. current — of water
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. drill — the tool
  5. drill — army training
  6. drill — a practice
  7. court — for sport
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. court — of law
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. spring — a coil
  12. sharp — clever
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. spring — the season
  16. spell — letters
  17. spell — a short time
  18. spell — magic
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. wax — to grow
  21. current — happening now
  22. spring — of water
  23. current — electric
  24. fan — a supporter

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