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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. court — of a king
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. bulb — for light
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. track — a song
  9. track — a path
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. game — a match
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. cell — in biology
  14. bulb — for light
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. track — to keep track
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. court — for sport
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. court — of law
  22. toast — bread
  23. game — wild animals
  24. cell — a phone

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